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Paju residents who live in the Civilian Control Zone hold a press conference to condemn the launch of anti-Pyongyang propaganda balloons in front of the Unification Village Farmers’ Market on June 19, 2020. (provided by Paju city government)

At the end of April, soon after the North Korean defector group Fighters for a Free North Korea launched leaflet-carrying balloons toward the North, North Korea reportedly relocated anti-aircraft guns further south, toward the border. This amounted to a threat to shoot down any propaganda balloons launched by defector groups before they reached North Korean territory.

If North Korea fires its anti-aircraft guns at balloons in the air above the Military Demarcation Line, as the border is called, shrapnel from the shells could fall in parts of Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province that are immediately south of the border. That would bring to life the fears of South Korean residents of the border region that “when leaflets are launched, bombs come back.”

It’s not inconceivable that such a situation could even lead to an armed clash between South and North Korea. That’s why the government needs to prevent the launch of propaganda balloons, which endanger border residents and threaten to provoke a wider conflict.

The groups that launch the propaganda balloons say the freedom of expression protects them. But the border residents insist that their lives should be protected.

Paju Mayor Choi Jong-hwan addressed this issue in a statement released on May 10, amid the latest debate over the propaganda balloon issue. “Every time propaganda leaflets are disseminated, it dramatically increases fears about a military clash among border residents. The leaflet launches aren’t [an exercise] of the freedom of expression, but an irresponsible act that could suddenly ruin residents’ hopes for lives of peace and safety.”

Recently, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and Gangwon Province Governor Choi Mun-sun have been making a similar argument. Forbidding the launch of propaganda balloons around the armistice line for the security of border residents should not be seen as a fundamental restriction of the freedom of expression.

After South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered officials on Thursday to “strictly enforce the laws” in regard to North Korean defectors who are being investigated by the police on charges of launching propaganda balloons, some groups filed a complaint with the public prosecutors that accused the president of “abetting the enemy” under the criminal code. That complaint ironically reveals the level of the freedom of political expression in Korea.

An unplanned military clash between South and North Korea over the propaganda balloons could be the trigger that destroys peace on the Korean Peninsula. The military confrontation at the border is a tinderbox that the slightest spark could set off.

In October 2014, South and North Korea exchanged fire between anti-aircraft guns and machine guns over propaganda balloons. Koreans around the country still vividly remember spending several sleepless nights out of fear that the clash would escalate into an all-out war.

The North Korean military should also be criticized for its forward deployment of the anti-aircraft guns, which was an overreaction.

The South Korean government assumed considerable political risk when it enacted legislation banning the launch of propaganda balloons. And in a special address marking the fourth anniversary of his inauguration on May 10, Moon said, “It is never desirable to dampen inter-Korean relations by violating inter-Korean agreements and current laws. I stress that the government has no choice but to strictly enforce the laws.”

In light of such things, North Korea should also refrain from behavior that could aggravate the situation.

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]