South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Monday dismissed broadcasts aimed at delivering uncensored media to the North Korean people as “foolish acts” that bring no benefit, stating that information is already widely available online.

But defectors sharply criticized the remarks for ignoring that the vast majority of DPRK citizens cannot access the internet due to Pyongyang’s stringent information controls, which have increased in recent years as the regime seeks to combat the spread of foreign culture inside the country.

“Why are we doing broadcasts toward North Korea? It’s useless,” Lee said during an in-flight press conference en route to Turkey.