ROK rules restriction on anti-DPRK leaflet spread "legal"

A South Korean court ruled Tuesday that it is "legal" for the government to restrict the spread across the border of leaflets against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) if such dispersion endangers people's safety.

The Uijeongbu District Court, located north of Seoul, ruled that civic groups' dispersion of anti-DPRK leaflets is an activity for freedom of expression, but it said the authorities can restrict such activity in response to clear dangers against people living in regions near the inter-Korean border.

It was in a stark contrast to the government position that it has no legal ground to block the spread of anti-DPRK leaflets via hot air balloons, which the DPRK has strongly denounced. Pyongyang rejected Seoul's dialogue offer in October last year for the leaflet dispersion.

On Oct. 10, the DPRK military fired machine gun shots at the balloons containing anti-DPRK leaflets scattered by a conservative South Korean civic group, composed largely of "defectors" from the DPRK, near the western border. Residents near the border area strongly opposed to such activity due to rising military tensions.

The ruling is expected to help resume talks between the rival Koreas as Pyongyang has demanded the stop of the anti-DPRK leaflets as a precondition for last year's senior-level dialogue.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un made an apparent offer for a summit with South Korea in his New Year's address, and Seoul said it is open to all forms of dialogue, urging Pyongyang to first respond positively to Seoul's offer to hold senior-level talks in January.

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