RFA
Ji Seong-ho, a former North Korean refugee who is now a lawmaker in South Korea’s opposition People Power Party, is currently in the United States on a visit to discuss the North Korean human rights situation with government officials and policy makers.
During his visit, South Korea’s National Assembly passed a bill that made it illegal to release balloons into North Korean territory with payloads of leaflets critical of the North Korean leadership, an activity that opponents see as protected under freedom of expression laws.
Ji said that several congressmen and others that he met expressed deep concerns over the new law, as they feel it infringes not only on citizens’ freedom of speech, but it also North Korean citizens’ right to knowledge and freedom for Koreans on both sides of the border to practice their religion.