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Members of a defector group prepare balloons filled with propaganda posters to be launched across the border into North Korea on the evening of June 7, 2024, from Ganghwa Island. The organization released a statement on June 8 saying that it had sent around 10 balloons filled with 200,000 leaflets criticizing Kim Jong-un northward. (Yonhap/courtesy of NKPLF)

Gyeonggi Province, which has criticized the government’s lack of response to defector groups launching balloons full of propaganda leaflets into North Korea, has decided to dispatch provincial police to step up surveillance in areas where more balloons are likely to be launched. The province added that if the situation deteriorates, it may also designate certain sections of the border with North Korea as “danger zones.”

Gov. Kim Dong-yeon of the border-adjacent province held an emergency meeting with related organizations at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office’s disaster response center on Tuesday.

“Tensions are rising on the Korean Peninsula, and there’s an urgent need for cooperation to protect our province’s residents and all Korean citizens. We will immediately dispatch provincial police to potential leaflet launch sites to bolster patrols and surveillance,” the governor said.

Kim went on to say, “If the security situation on the border deteriorates and we’re in danger of a disaster occurring, we plan to designate ‘danger zones’ and prevent the launch of propaganda leaflets in accordance with related laws.”

The meeting on Monday was attended by representatives from the military, fire department and police, as well as deputy mayors from Gimpo, Yeoncheon County, Paju and Pocheon.

Fighters for a Free North Korea, a defector organization, made an unannounced launch of 200,000 propaganda leaflets from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, at 1 am on Thursday. But the central government didn’t take any preventive measures, and both the police and the Pocheon city government have been slow to respond.

In the end, the balloon launch led to North Korea flying another batch of trash-filled balloons across the border on Sunday. Then on Monday, Kim posted on Facebook that the government “needs to explore meaningful measures about the propaganda balloon launches instead of just standing idly by.”

Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon announces plans for cracking down on leaflet launches into North Korea at an emergency meeting of stakeholder organizations held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on June 11, 2024. (courtesy of Gyeonggi provincial government)

Kim’s mention of the designation of hazardous areas suggests he will take direct administrative measures to prevent the launch of propaganda leaflets in the border area.

In June 2020, while Lee Jae-myung was governor, Gyeonggi Province declared Goyang, Gimpo, Yeoncheon, Paju and Pocheon as “danger zones” under the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety and then issued an administrative order blocking anyone from entering those areas to launch balloons. The province authorized provincial police to arrest anyone who tried to launch balloons there and asked the police to investigate defector groups.

Gyeonggi Province is also looking into whether the Outdoor Advertising Act and the Waste Management Act can be applied to block balloon launches. The Outdoor Advertising Act authorizes local governments to fine individuals up to 5 million won (US$3,630) for publishing or displaying unauthorized leaflets. The Waste Management Act states that the failure to report waste disposal is subject to a fine of between 1 million and 10 million won.

By Lee Jun-hee, staff reporter

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