S. Korea to take measures against anti-DPRK leaflets scattering if necessary

South Korea's Ministry of Unification in charge of inter-Korean affairs said Monday that it will take measures to prevent civic groups from scattering leaflets against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) across borders if such scattering clearly endangers safety of residents living near the border.

Unification Ministry vice spokeswoman Park Soo-jin told a press briefing that civic groups' scattering of anti-DPRK leaflets is " basically" a matter of freedom of expression that cannot be forcefully restrained because it has no legal grounds.

Park, however, noted that the government has clearly recognized the point that such actions for the freedom of expression should not do damages to other people, nor threaten public orders.

From this perspective, the government will take necessary measures if the anti-DPRK leaflets dispersion endangers the safety of residents living near the border, while considering the guarantee of basic rights of people and the protection of people's safety in a balanced manner, Park said.

Her comments came after a South Korean civic group pledged to push ahead with its plan to float the anti-DPRK leaflets across the inter-Korean border despite strong opposition from the DRPK against such actions.

Park Sang Hak, chief of the Fighters for a Free North Korea ( FFNK), was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying Monday that he will scatter anti-DPRK leaflets around March 26 as planned together with five other civic groups.

About 500,000 leaflets, denouncing the DPRK regime, and some 10, 000 copies of "The Interview," a film featuring a fictional plot to assassinate top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, will be sent via hot air balloons to the DPRK across the inter-Korean land border around March 26, the fifth anniversary of South Korea's Cheonan warship sinking.

Such action is expected to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula further, which were already escalated amid the ongoing U. S.-South Korea joint annual military exercises, code-named "Key Resolve" and "Foal Eagle." The former ended last week, and the latter will continue by late April.

In October 2014, the DPRK shot at balloons carrying anti-DPRK leaflets, resulting in the failure of the inter-Korean talks agreed when three top-level DPRK officials made a surprise visit to South Korea to join the closing ceremony of the Incheon Asian Games.

Uriminzokkiri, one of the DPRK's major publicity websites, has said that the DPRK forces will fire "aimed" shots at any balloons carrying anti-DPRK leaflets with cannons and even missiles, raising its threat against the actions. Endi