Unification Ministry to revoke N. Korean defector groups of corporation status
Hankyoreh News Analysis
Unification Ministry to revoke N. Korean defector groups of corporation status
Posted on : Jun.11,2020 15:47 KST Modified on : Jun.11,2020 15:47 KST
Groups launching propaganda into N. Korea accused of violating inter-Korean cooperation laws
On June 10, the Ministry of Unification (MOU) announced that it plans to charge the two North Korean defector groups Fighters for Free North Korea (FFNK) and Keun Saem with violations of positive law and initiate procedures to revoke their corporation status after they launched propaganda balloons and plastic bottles over the border into North Korea. This amounts to a declaration that the government is changing its approach in response to the scattering of leaflets in North Korea. The decision sends the message that the weight is being shifted from policing without punishment to policing, punishments, and crackdowns at the source.
The law cited by MOU as a basis for punishing propaganda balloon launches is the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act. Article 13-1 of that act states that approval from the MOU must be received to take or send items into North Korea, while Article 27 states that the transport of items without approval is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won (US$25,102).
More:
http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/949316.html?_fr=st1