This blog post focuses on the controversy surrounding the distribution of leaflets to North Korea in South Korea and examines the dilemma facing South Korean society between public safety, freedom of expression, and the possibility of democratization in North Korea.

The South Korean government’s position and response to the issue of leaflets sent to North Korea

On October 10, a group of North Korean defectors launched balloons carrying leaflets toward North Korea from a hill in Yeoncheon County, prompting North Korea to fire 10 rounds of 13.5 mm machine guns. Two live rounds fired by North Korea landed next to the civil defense shelter next to the Jungmyeon Office in Hyeongsan-ri, Yeoncheon County, causing residents to flee in panic. In response, on October 24, during a government audit of the Ministry of Unification, Minister Ryoo Kih-jae stated, “There will be no change in our principles or position on the issue of leaflets to North Korea.” This can be interpreted as indicating that South Korea will take no action to address the issues caused by North Korea’s leaflet distribution. North Korea has stated that it will not engage in inter-Korean dialogue unless the South Korean government takes measures to prevent South Korean civil organizations from distributing leaflets. However, despite North Korea’s threats, the distribution of leaflets continues.
In this situation, should the South Korean government take measures to prevent civil organizations such as North Korean defector groups from distributing leaflets to North Korea, or should it allow the distribution to continue?

Reasons why the distribution of leaflets should not be banned

I believe that the South Korean government should not impose sanctions on private organizations to prevent them from distributing leaflets to North Korea under the current circumstances. The first reason is that it is North Korea’s intention to ban the distribution of leaflets. When the North Korean military fired anti-aircraft guns at the leaflets to shoot them down, the bullets fell on villages near South Korea, which can be considered a provocation by North Korea. This is further supported by the fact that they used anti-aircraft guns capable of firing hundreds of bullets per minute. The reason North Korea engages in provocation is probably because the benefits it gains from doing so outweigh the losses it would suffer if it did not. North Korea’s intention is probably to threaten South Korea’s distribution of leaflets and gain the upper hand through a certain degree of provocation.
Currently, North Korea’s firing is creating conflict between residents of Yeoncheon, South Korea, and North Korean defector groups. In addition, there is a growing sentiment within the political sphere to impose sanctions on the distribution of leaflets, which seems to be going according to North Korea’s plan. South Korea and North Korea have been in a state of truce for about 70 years, but they are still at war. If South Korea backs down in the face of temporary provocations, it will only serve to enhance the dignity of the North Korean regime and, furthermore, make South Korea a laughing stock to other countries. Considering these points, I believe that imposing sanctions on the distribution of leaflets is the wrong decision.
In response to this argument, some may argue that the South Korean government’s top priority should be the safety of its citizens, not a battle of pride. They argue that the distribution of leaflets has heightened tensions between South and North Korea, and that continuing to distribute them could lead to military engagement, which would threaten the safety of South Korean citizens. My opinion is as follows. The distribution of leaflets to North Korea is not a one-time event, but has been going on for some time. In fact, North Korea has fired shots at leaflet balloons in the past, and this is not a rare occurrence. However, what is different from the past is that the defectors and civilian organizations involved in this leaflet distribution informed the media in advance and carried out the distribution during the daytime rather than at night. In addition, unlike usual, the balloons did not reach high altitudes due to stable winds and flew toward North Korea at low altitudes. Balloons carrying leaflets and other items rise 2-3 km into the air in an instant when released. The total range of anti-aircraft guns is about 1.4 km, but this time the wind was very stable, so the balloons remained at an altitude of about 1 km, and since it was daytime, it was a good condition for North Korea to respond with fire. The advance disclosure to the media was done by civilian organizations as a means of obtaining sponsorship from outside companies due to a lack of funds, and to promote awareness and interest in the international community. This issue could be easily resolved if the South Korean government provided a little support to the civic groups. If the civic groups pay attention to these points in the future, there will be no military confrontation and the safety of the people will be guaranteed.

Are leaflets the only means of democratization in North Korea?

Another counterargument to my first point is that leaflet distribution is not the only means of democratizing North Korea. There are many other ways to safely raise awareness among North Korean citizens without provoking North Korea, such as radio broadcasts and cultural exchanges between South and North Korea. However, I believe that leaflet distribution is not the only means of democratizing North Korea. Although leaflet distribution is not the only means of democratizing North Korea, radio and cultural exchanges have their limitations. The problem is that people who do not own a radio cannot listen to it. Radio ownership is prohibited in North Korea. Small radios are smuggled in from China, but they are expensive and difficult for many people to obtain. Furthermore, cultural exchanges have no political significance, so they are limited in their ability to democratize the consciousness of North Korean citizens.
There are probably many reasons for defecting from North Korea. Some may dislike North Korea’s closed system, while others may be eager to experience the Korean Wave that is flowing into North Korea from China. However, I believe that they defect because they are aware of the contradictions of a system that is impossible in the modern world, such as the three-generation hereditary succession in North Korea, and because they have come to understand the views of the outside world and global trends. If they defect simply because South Korea is freer and offers a better life than North Korea, it will not help improve the North Korean regime. In this sense, the distribution of leaflets has the same purpose and meaning as the democratization movement in South Korea in the 1980s. Although the nature of the resistance may be passive, this act of rebelling against a dictatorship and providing the people with the right to know can be called a democratization movement in North Korea. In fact, leaflet distribution is regarded by the international community as a highly creative democratization movement, and Park Sang-hak, representative of the Free North Korea Movement, received the Havel Human Rights Prize, which is considered more prestigious than the Nobel Peace Prize, for his leaflet distribution to North Korea. The Havel Human Rights Prize was established to honor the spirit of democracy and human rights of former President Havel, who led the Czech democratization movement. If the South Korean government suppresses and sanctions these people, who are engaged in a legitimate and unyielding democratization movement that is recognized by the international community, the international community will consider South Korea a country that suppresses democracy. I believe that it is desirable for South Korea, as an advanced democratic country, to at least refrain from preventing the distribution of leaflets. Currently, North Korean defectors are distributing leaflets while facing threats to their lives from the North Korean government.

The right of North Korean citizens to know

My second argument is that North Korean citizens have the right to know the truth. According to Lee Min-bok, head of the Balloon Team of the Movement to Aid North Korean Residents, the reason for distributing leaflets to North Korea is to inform North Koreans of the truth. The balloons sent to North Korea by private organizations contain messages criticizing the North Korean regime, one-dollar bills, and radios. According to Lee Min-bok, many North Korean defectors actually cross the border after seeing the leaflets flown in from South Korea. I believe that the most important task for North Korea right now is to let its people know what is right and wrong. Why have there been no revolutions or rebellions in North Korea for over 70 years since the Korean War? There may be some factors that are unknown to the outside world, but even if we ignore those, the answer lies in North Korea’s brainwashing policy. Just like the brainwashing policy of Big Brother in George Orwell’s “1984,” North Korean citizens are educated from childhood about the legitimacy of the three-generation hereditary system and receive communist ideology training, which prevents them from questioning or resisting the North Korean government. They have no access to information about the world outside North Korea, how advanced science and technology are, or how outdated communism is as a concept. In other words, it is not that they do not rebel or revolt, but that they cannot because they do not know. If the continued distribution of leaflets to North Korea causes even a slight change in the consciousness of North Korean citizens, I believe that one day, a small seed will sprout that will overturn the North Korean regime.
As a counterargument to the second argument, it can be argued that even if North Korean citizens have the right to know, it should not threaten the safety of South Korean citizens. The survival rights of South Korean citizens, who are third parties, are being threatened because of organizations that assert North Korea’s right to know. I also believe that it is true that residents in neighboring areas feel threatened. However, North Korea’s weapons are capable of striking not only neighboring areas but also all areas of South Korea, and they have reached a level where they can accurately hit their targets. In other words, there is no safe area, so flying balloons carrying leaflets into North Korea does not only endanger residents in border areas. I do not believe that the threat to the right to life of residents in border areas is sufficient reason to ban the distribution of leaflets to North Korea. Furthermore, the distribution of leaflets is part of psychological warfare against North Korea. In other areas, such as diplomacy and the military, psychological warfare against North Korea is conducted while accepting a certain degree of risk. Banning the distribution of leaflets is tantamount to banning psychological warfare against North Korea in other areas. I do not believe this is logically valid for South Korea, which is at war with North Korea.

Change in the consciousness of North Korean citizens

Another counterargument to my second point is that it is doubtful that North Korean citizens, who have been thoroughly brainwashed since childhood, will change their consciousness based on a single leaflet. I agree that it may be excessive to expect that a single leaflet will change the consciousness of a large number of people. However, there is currently a Korean wave among North Korean citizens. Korean culture, such as TV dramas and movies, has secretly entered North Korea through trade with China and is said to be popular among North Korean residents. Even high-ranking North Korean officials are said to enjoy watching them. Considering this situation, it seems that the hostile feelings that North Korean residents had toward South Korea in the latter half of the 20th century have weakened and, on the contrary, have changed to a positive view. Therefore, it is thought that leaflets will have a greater effect on changing people’s awareness now than in the past.

Balance between peace and security

There is one fact that many people have forgotten. North and South Korea are still at war. Of course, they have signed an armistice agreement and are in a state of ceasefire, but there is a problem with continuing to pursue only security. As things stand, it would not be surprising if North Korea invaded at any time. South Korea has become so accustomed to peace that it would find an attack by North Korea strange. Of course, this does not mean that we should deliberately provoke North Korea into war. However, in order to prepare for a danger that may suddenly arise, it is necessary to become accustomed to a certain degree of risk.
Furthermore, I believe that peaceful reunification between South Korea and North Korea will be difficult. Authoritarian regimes are attractive to many people in power, and it is unlikely that they will voluntarily give them up. In addition, it is rare for authoritarian regimes to be overthrown from outside, and history has shown that change and revolution always come from within. In light of this, I believe that distributing leaflets to North Korea will have a significant impact on bringing about conscious change within the country, such as among North Korean citizens. Although North Korean citizens have been thoroughly brainwashed since childhood, the human nature of longing for freedom always exists. This is evident in the actions of North Korean citizens who watch South Korean dramas and movies behind the backs of the North Korean government and listen to news from outside the country using devices such as mini radios smuggled in from China. North Korean citizens tend to want a free culture and diverse consciousness rather than the decadent North Korean system. Under these circumstances, the distribution of leaflets to North Korea will serve as a great example for a few revolutionary-minded North Korean citizens, similar to the minority revolutionaries in South Korea during the Japanese occupation, and will provide an important opportunity to overthrow the North Korean regime.