Olivia specializes in human rights and national security challenges in Asia. A visitor walks past ribbons with inscriptions calling for peace and reunification displayed on a military fence at Imjingak peace park near the Demilitarized Zone, Dec. 15, 2020. JUNG YEON-JE / Contributor / Getty Images
Key Takeaways
The newly amended Law on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act stymies efforts by South Korean NGOs to promote information access in North Korea.
It’s a dangerous precedent to restrict activities because North Korea requests it.
Should Seoul continue down this path, it may have a worrisome end one that undermines the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people on both sides.
Why leaflets should stop By Yang Moo-jin
The recent passage of the anti-leaflet law in the National Assembly came as an amendment to the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act to prohibit the sending of leaflets with anti-North Korea messages across the border.
The opposition People Power Party and critics claimed the amendment violates freedom of speech and works against the efforts to improve human rights in North Korea. Some even belittled it as a law upholding the order from Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un s sister. Is this really true?
The people of the Republic of Korea (ROK) enjoy sufficient freedom of speech following the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Constitution. However, freedom of speech cannot take precedence over the right to life and the right to safety of people in the border regions.
Unification ministry op-ed: Why South Korea had to stop leaflet launches
Suh Ho, the vice minister at the Ministry of Unification, penned an exclusive op-ed about South Korea s leaflet bill
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Image: Republic of Korea Marine Corps
The following article is an opinion piece by Suh Ho, vice minister of South Korea’s Ministry of Unification. Views expressed in opinion articles and columns are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.
On Dec. 14, the South Korean National Assembly passed an amendment to the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act that regulates leaflets. Critics in South Korea and from overseas including the U.S. misunderstood the intention and the contents of the amendment, all while organizations scattering leaflets issued distorted denunciations of the amendment.
International criticism
Leafleting ban could stifle freedom of expression
South Korea is facing international criticism for the passing of a bill prohibiting the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the inter-Korean border into North Korea. This means that Seoul s legislation of a leafleting ban has emerged as a global issue, something the Moon Jae-in administration cannot afford to dismiss as interference in internal affairs.
On Dec. 14, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) railroaded the revision to the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act through the National Assembly to penalize leaflet senders with a maximum prison term of three years or a fine of up to 30 million won ($27,400). The party has come under fire for ignoring conservative opposition parties objections to the bill which could undermine freedom of expression and deprive North Koreans of access to information from outside.
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