Photo : YONHAP News
South Korea’s ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs says the anti-Pyongyang leaflets from defectors’ groups are probably just a pretext for the frequent trash balloon launches North Korea has carried out in recent weeks.
An official with Seoul’s unification ministry cited decreased leafleting activity by defectors, and the direction of the wind, in support of this conclusion when speaking with local reporters Thursday.
The official did not say how many times defectors had launched balloons with leaflets over the inter-Korean border recently.
Since Pyongyang threatened retaliation for the leaflets in late May, it has sent trash balloons over the border on 21 occasions.
Last month Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho reportedly said Pyongyang’s true motive in sending the trash balloons was to sow division in South Korean society and increase public anxiety.