Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Block Abductees' Families Association's Leaflet Launch Toward North Korea on 23rd

The planned leaflet distribution toward North Korea by the Abductees' Families Association, scheduled for the 23rd, was thwarted due to intervention by Gyeonggi Province.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit announced on the 24th that the Abductees' Families Association had attempted to hold a "Sending News to Abducted Families" event at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi Province at 11 a.m. on the same day, with the intention of distributing leaflets toward North Korea.

To send leaflets containing news about abductees to the North, the group set up a large tent at the event site starting in the afternoon of the 22nd, the day before the event. They prepared 10 bundles of leaflets, helium gas, and balloons, and announced that they would immediately launch the balloons if wind conditions were favorable for sending them toward North Korea.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit confronted the group distributing leaflets for the Abductees' Families Association on the 23rd. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

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In response, the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit began 24-hour monitoring at the event site from the day before the event. They also established a cooperation system with the police and Paju City, and intensified patrols at locations, including the rally site, where launching balloons toward North Korea was considered highly likely.

On the day of the event, the Special Judicial Police Unit deployed 94 investigators to the site to prevent the distribution of leaflets toward North Korea. Around 500 police officers and Paju City officials worked to prevent safety accidents that could result from physical clashes among participants at the scene.

Kim Sungjung, the First Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The Republic of Korea is currently in a state of emergency, and sending leaflets to North Korea under these circumstances could provide a pretext for provocation by the North. Gyeonggi Province will continue to actively respond to leaflet distribution toward North Korea in cooperation with relevant agencies to protect the lives and safety of our residents."

Meanwhile, in order to protect the lives and safety of all residents, including those in border areas, Gyeonggi Province designated Paju, Yeoncheon, and Gimpo as "danger zones" under the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety on October 16 last year, and has since maintained field patrols and a 24-hour emergency response system at locations where leaflet distribution toward North Korea is anticipated.

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