Prominent North Korean defector-activists welcomed a South Korean court’s decision to strike down a law prohibiting the sending of leaflets and other items into the DPRK, celebrating the ruling for defending democratic principles.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that the so-called anti-leaflet law is unconstitutional, citing the law’s “excessive” restriction of freedom of speech.

The law stipulating heavy fines and prison sentences for sending items across the inter-Korean border went into effect in March 2021, after the pro-engagement Moon administration pushed for its passage in response to North Korean complaints.

The DPRK appeared to object in part to