Defector activist claims he sent 20 balloons carrying COVID aid to North Korea

Launch of balloons with masks, Tylenol and vitamin C tablets violates anti-leaflet law, unification ministry says

Jeongmin Kim June 7, 2022

Defector activist claims he sent 20 balloons carrying COVID aid to North Korea

High-profile defector activist Park Sang-hak launches balloons that he said contained COVID-19 aid toward North Korea on June 5, 2022 | Image: Park Sang-hak

A high-profile defector and human rights activist said he launched balloons carrying tens of thousands of masks and other COVID-19 aid toward North Korea on Sunday, announcing that his organization will suspend anti-regime leafleting as it seeks to provide medical assistance during the DPRK’s virus outbreak.

But Seoul’s unification ministry told NK News that the balloon launch by Park Sang-hak and Fighters for a Free North Korea (FFNK) appears to violate a 2020 South Korean law banning the dissemination of leaflets and other items to North Korea.

About the Author

Jeongmin Kim

Jeongmin Kim is the Lead Correspondent at NK News, based in Seoul. Kim covers inter-Korean and DPRK-related foreign, defense and humanitarian affairs, and has covered the 2022 ROK Presidential election on the ground. Prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency's Seoul bureau. Follow her on Twitter @jeongminnkim

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