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President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting of the National Security Council after a North Korean missile launch

On July 4, immediately after North Korea’s first test launch of the Hwasong-14 ICBM, South Korean President Moon Jae-in gave instructions to “look for ways to legally block private-sector groups from launching propaganda leaflet balloons into North Korea,” it was belatedly confirmed. These instructions were presumably designed to prevent “unplanned clashes” and to create a mood for inter-Korean dialogue aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear program and bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula, at a time when inter-Korean tensions were rising because of North Korea’s missile provocations.

On Aug. 4, multiple officials at the Blue House reported that Moon had given instructions to the Blue House secretariat during a meeting held shortly after North Korea’s first test launch of the Hwasong-14 missile on July 4 to look into what ways and procedures there might be to legally stop private-sector groups from launching balloons scattering propaganda leaflets into North Korea.

Moon’s instructions were motivated by concerns that an unintended small-scale clash between North and South Korean forces could escalate into all-out war in a situation where all the hotlines between the two sides are severed. “President Moon brought up instances in the past when inter-Korean military tensions had risen after North Korea fired anti-aircraft guns in response to loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts and private groups’ launching propaganda leaflet filled balloons into North Korea and South Korean troops had returned fire. Since the military communication lines between North and South Korea are currently severed, he expressed concerns about the possibility of an unplanned clash between the two sides occurring [because of North Korea’s missile provocations],” a senior official at the Blue House said. Another senior official added that Moon had meant that “the army’s loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts into North Korea could be halted if the two sides reach an agreement, and the launch of propaganda-filled balloons must be stopped if they are directly linked to a threat to citizens’ lives and safety, despite arguments that such private-sector activities cannot be blocked [because of freedom of expression].”

North Korea is unusually sensitive about the propaganda leaflet-filled balloons, which are launched by private groups, and the loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts, which are part of the South Korean army’s psychological operations against North Korea, and it describes these activities as hostile acts that undermine its regime. Pyongyang has consistently demanded that the balloon launches and loudspeaker broadcasts be halted as a precondition for inter-Korean dialogue. But anti-North Korean groups have gone ahead with the balloon launches despite the government’s request to refrain from such activities, citing freedom of expression.

Moon gave these instructions when he was preparing to announce his Berlin Declaration, which emphasized his commitment to inter-Korean dialogue. During the declaration, which he announced in Germany on July 6, he proposed that both North and South Korea halt hostile activities along the military demarcation line. The government continued by proposing on July 17 that talks between military officials from North and South Korea be held on July 21 in order to discuss the cessation of hostile activities along the military demarcation line. But North Korea’s next move was to launch another Hwasong-14 on July 28, without responding to South Korea’s proposal.

The Unification Ministry is considering what measures can be taken in line with Moon’s instructions. The Blue House’s position is that this plan has not been nullified by North Korea’s second test launch. “We continue to hold that reducing the risk of unplanned clashes becomes even more important amid the intensifying crisis brought on by North Korea’s missile tests,” said a senior official at the Blue House.

By Lee Jung-ae, staff reporter

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