Police investigating balloons apparently intended for North

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Police investigating balloons apparently intended for North

Members of the Families of Abductees group prepare to launch balloons carrying leaflets toward North Korea behind the fence at Peace Land in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 27. [ABDUCTEE FAMILY ASSOCIATION]

Members of the Families of Abductees group prepare to launch balloons carrying leaflets toward North Korea behind the fence at Peace Land in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 27. [ABDUCTEE FAMILY ASSOCIATION]

 
Police are investigating after large balloons carrying materials such as Bibles, USB drives and snacks apparently intended for North Korea were discovered in Incheon and Gimpo, Gyeonggi, on Saturday, as the government signaled a tough stance on future launches.
 
The first report came at 12:40 a.m. on Saturday from a rice paddy in Ganghwa County, Incheon, with another balloon found in the same county later that morning. A third one was reported in Gimpo.
 

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The balloons landed in unpopulated areas such as fields and riverbanks, with no damage reported.
 
Police said the recovered balloons contained items such as Bibles, USB drives, and snacks, and there were no leaflets criticizing the North Korean regime.
 
“We suspect a civilian group launched the balloons, but we have not identified which group or where they were launched from,” a police official said. “We are investigating the exact circumstances of the case.”
 
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing on Saturday that President Lee Jae-myung’s administration "holds that illegal leaflet campaigns that threaten the safety and daily life of border residents and raise military tensions on the Korean Peninsula must be stopped.”
 
“Despite the government’s clear stance, some continue to violate this, and we take the situation very seriously,” Kang said. "President Lee instructed all relevant ministries to devise both preventive and punitive measures."
 
The Ministry of Unification will convene a meeting on Monday with other agencies to form a coordinated response.
 
The ministry already “strongly urged civilian groups to stop launching leaflets” last Monday, reversing the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s reluctance to regulate such activities on free speech grounds.
 
President Lee also questioned Unification Minister Kim Young-ho about the use of high-pressure gas during balloon launches and instructed officials to explore legal action based on aviation safety, disaster prevention and gas safety laws during a Cabinet meeting last Tuesday.
 
Lee also visited border villages in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Friday, including Tongilchon, Haemaru Village and Daeseong-dong, and said, “If groups ignore the request to stop launching materials into North Korea, we must respond strongly. Anyone caught will face severe punishment.”
 
The National Police Agency has also taken a clear position on the recovered balloons.
 
A banner designating the area a restricted zone for anti-North leaflet launches and prohibiting related activities hangs in front of Peace Land at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi, on June 15. [NEWS1]

A banner designating the area a restricted zone for anti-North leaflet launches and prohibiting related activities hangs in front of Peace Land at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi, on June 15. [NEWS1]

 
"The recovered balloons will be investigated for potential violations of the Aviation Safety Act, and authorities will also review other possible legal breaches," the agency said. "We plan to dispatch riot and local police units to areas where future launches are likely and conduct pre-emptive enforcement."
 
Authorities have also issued a notice restricting a rally organized by the Families of Abductees group, which plans to send materials near Imjingak in Paju until July 10.
 
The group previously launched materials in Paju on April 27, in Gangwon's Cheorwon County on May 8 and again in Paju on June 2.
 
“The large balloons found in Ganghwa and Gimpo are not related to our group,” Choi Seong-ryong, head of the Families of Abductees group, said during a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo. “Our rallies aim to send warnings and appeals to family members abducted by North Korea and its sympathizers. We will continue to send newsletters weighing under 2 kilograms [4.4 pounds], depending on the wind direction.”

BY CHOI MO-RAN [[email protected]]
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