Choi Seong-ryong (second from left), head of the Association of the Families of Those Abducted by North Korea, speaks during a rally in front of the government complex in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)
Choi Seong-ryong (second from left), head of the Association of the Families of Those Abducted by North Korea, speaks during a rally in front of the government complex in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

Seoul aims to revise laws to ban civic groups from sending leaflets by Aug. 15 Liberation Day

A South Korean civic group representing families of abductees held in North Korea said it would halt the distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets if President Lee Jae-myung takes steps to confirm the abductees’ survival and meets with their families.

Choi Sung-ryong, head of the Association of the Families of Those Abducted by North Korea, held a news conference Monday in front of the government complex in Seoul, as the Lee administration cracks down on the sending of anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the inter-Korean border.

Choi warned that the group would resume sending anti-North Korea leaflets — detailing information about South Koreans abducted after the 1950-53 Korean War — either by balloon or even using drones. The leaflets also include the phrase, "If only Kim Jong-un disappears, our abductees will return.”

Choi called on President Lee to meet with the families of the abductees — including Kim Tae-ok, the mother of Lee Min-gyo, who was abducted by North Korea in August 1977, and Kim Sun-rye, the mother of Hong Geon-pyo, who was abducted in August 1978. Both abductees were students at the time.

“If President Lee Jae-myung meets with the two mothers of the students abducted to North Korea and offers them words of comfort, I will stop sending leaflets,” Choi said. “And not just leaflets. I will also stop other acts of hostility toward North Korea. I ask once again.”

The Association of the Families of Those Abducted by North Korea disclosed its leaflets, which include detailed information on South Korean abductees held in North Korea, as seen in the materials sent to North Korea. (Ji Da-gyum/The Korea Herald)
The Association of the Families of Those Abducted by North Korea disclosed its leaflets, which include detailed information on South Korean abductees held in North Korea, as seen in the materials sent to North Korea. (Ji Da-gyum/The Korea Herald)

The Association of the Families of Those Abducted by North Korea dispersed leaflets on April 27, as well as in May and on June 2, despite repeated requests from the Unification Ministry to exercise restraint.

On June 9, the Unification Ministry publicly expressed regret over the group’s launch of anti-North Korea leaflets and “strongly urged” an end to such actions, signaling a shift in stance on the issue under President Lee Jae-myung’s administration.

Choi underscored that “our request is simply to verify whether our loved ones are alive through inter-Korean dialogue — and yet the authorities treat us like criminals.”

“Dialogue between the two Koreas needs to happen first. And when it does, we’re not even asking for their return right away — we’re just saying, let’s start by confirming whether they’re alive,” Choi said.

Choi challenged the rationale behind the Lee administration’s decision to ban anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets, which had previously been deemed legal by the courts.

“I won both the first and second trials. The Constitutional Court ruled that this is a matter of freedom of expression. But such rulings have been completely ignored,” Choi told reporters.

The Constitutional Court ruled the anti-leaflet law unconstitutional in September 2023, nullifying a provision in the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act that banned such activity. In March 2025, the Seoul High Court also rejected an injunction seeking to halt leaflet campaigns by North Korean activist groups, including one representing families of abductees.

Koo Byoung-sam, spokesman of the unification ministry, speaks during a press conference at the government complex in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)
Koo Byoung-sam, spokesman of the unification ministry, speaks during a press conference at the government complex in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

In response, the Unification Ministry in Seoul on Monday said the ministry will “give full consideration to the voices of the families of abductees by North Korea.”

“The Unification Ministry will make its utmost efforts to create conditions for resolving the issue, including the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue,” Koo Byoung-sam, the ministry’s spokesperson, said during a televised briefing.

Koo concurrently admitted that Seoul “has not previously raised such a matter through the inter-Korean Red Cross channel,” referring to the main communication channel between the two Koreas for discussing humanitarian issues, including the reunions of separated families.

However, Koo said the government’s “request to halt leaflet launches does not violate the Constitutional Court’s decision, considering the management of the Korean Peninsula situation and the lives and safety of the people.”

The South Korean government held an interagency meeting at 10 a.m. on Monday at the government complex in Seoul and discussed the establishment of a comprehensive, pan-government response, including preventive measures and punitive measures as instructed by the President, according to the Unification Ministry.

As the outcome, the Lee administration will "make utmost efforts" to revise the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act and pass other related legal amendments to ban leaflet launches before the Liberation Day that falls on Aug. 15, the ministry explained.

The Unification Ministry also underscored that the Lee administration also plans to "strongly urge civic groups to stop leaflet distribution through guidance and instruction."

The Unification Ministry said it has "decided to establish a consultative body among relevant agencies to respond effectively to the leaflet distribution and to communicate both on an ad hoc and regular basis."


dagyumji@heraldcorp.com