N. Korea's propaganda leaflets fly into Yongsan office

North Korea sent balloons carrying propaganda leaflets that contained raw criticism against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee for the 30th time on Thursday. This is the first time leaflets have been dumped since the first balloon was sent in May. In particular, some of the balloons flew into the grounds of the presidential office in Yongsan, releasing the leaflets onto the presidential office.

According to The Dong-A Ilbo’s news gathering, some of the balloons that North Korea sent around 2:30 a.m. burst after flying over the presidential office compound and other areas near the office. Most of the fallen objects from the bursting balloons were palm-sized leaflets with content criticizing President Yoon and the First Lady.

The leaflets were found in various places, including alleys and roads near the presidential office. The leaflets often contained low-level accusations and photos, such as claiming that First Lady Kim wears expensive jewelry and mocking President Yoon’s judgment. The leaflets also demeaned South Korea’s society, suggesting that South Koreans should emigrate because of low wages and unemployment.

Leaflets criticizing the president and his wife flew precisely to the presidential office and nearby areas, reportedly due to North Korea’s recent use of global positioning system (GPS) devices attached to balloons. Some analysts believe that their drops became more accurate as the North gained more experience with the balloons.

Military officials have interpreted the balloon drops, which included leaflets criticizing the president and his wife, as a sign of dissatisfaction with the fact that South Korean intelligence agencies, including the National Intelligence Service, were the first in the world to confirm‎ that the North Korean military had sent a large number of troops to Russia. The leaflets are also believed to have been motivated by the appearance of an unmanned aerial vehicle over Pyongyang. North Korea claims South Korea sent the drone, but South Korean military officials and others believe it was most likely self-fabricated. “North Korea should immediately stop sending such crude leaflets,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. ”We warn them once again that they will bear full responsibility for any consequences.”


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com