On December 13th, the South Korean National Assembly struck a blow against civil
liberties for both North and South Koreans. This newly amended law restricts South Korean NGOs from promoting access to information such as Bibles, USBs, books, and even money from being sent into North Korea across the border.
Thus far, this bill has been coined the “anti-leaflet law” but this legislation restricts a far more expansive list of items that can be used for access to information. It limits items that can be used to provide access to information. The law also restricts these groups from displaying posters or other visual aids, as well as using loudspeakers to make announcements across the border.
The law is primed to have a devastating impact on access to information for not only the people of North Korea but also the freedom of speech for the people of South Korea who are looking to enlighten their neighbors to the north. By the National Assembly passing such legislation, South Korea is continuing to prioritize appeasing the hostile North Korean regime over the rights of their own people.
Along with the restriction of rights, this bill also carries stiff criminal and financial
punishments. By sending any form of information device over the North Korean border an individual could be facing up to three years in prison and a fine of just under $30,000 for engaging in these newly illegal activities. The Moon Jae-in administration has increasingly sought out these NGOs and human rights groups who have sent information to North Korea and targeted them with investigations. Moon and his allies have gone as far as filing criminal complaints, restricted leaflet drops prior to the amendment passing in the National Assembly, and even raiding offices of the participants.
Despite the hit to South Korean civil rights, the limiting of information to the people of North Korea, and the near-illegal actions of the Moon administration to deter activists from partaking in these activities, there is still the worst part of all of this… the message that this sends to Kim Jong-un and Pyongyang. For those of you not familiar with the current relationship on the Korean peninsula, this is not the first time we have seen the South Korean government fold to pressure from North Korea. With continued appeasement to maintain “peace” on the peninsula, South Korea risks falling into a state of subservience to the North Korean regime.
The implications for what could come of this “anti-leaflet ban” bill are vast. This is a major blow against the freedoms of the South Korean people, a major blow against the human rights of the people of North Korea, and a nod to the North Korean regime that their tactics of fear and propaganda are working on the South Korean government. What happens next will be crucial for the Korean peninsula long-term. Will South Korea stand up for its people and the human rights of its neighbors to the north? Or will they continue to fold and break under the pressure of an authoritarian regime?
