Seoul cancels licenses of groups sending propaganda leaflets to North Korea

On Friday, South Korea revoked the licenses of two anti-North Korea groups that send propaganda leaflets into the North. The actions had infuriated the government in Seoul as they undermined South Korean efforts to engage with its neighbor.

Groups run by North Korean defectors have for years sent anti-North Korea leaflets, along with food, medicine, $1 bills and mini radios into North Korea usually by balloon or in bottles on border rivers, Reuters said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is keen to improve ties with the North, and the government asked the groups to stop sending the propaganda but they rejected the request.

The Ministry of Unification, which handles relations with the North, said it had revoked the licenses because the distribution of leaflets and goods to the North gravely hindered the government's unification policy and efforts to promote it, and “caused danger to the border-area residents’ lives and safety.”