North Korea sends leaflets via Hangang River for 1st time

The skyline of Seoul and the Han River. INQUIRER.net PHOTO

A pack of propaganda leaflets sent from North Korea via the Han River were found Tuesday, marking the first time such leaflets have been sent through the waterway, the South Korean military said Wednesday.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the leaflets distorted the 63rd anniversary of the Korean War Armistice agreement—which fell on Wednesday—claiming it as the day the communist nation achieved victory against the united forces of the UN and the South Korean military. They also said that Pyongyang could attack the South with its intermediate Musudan ballistic missiles.

Musudan, launched for the first time this year, was assessed to have been fired successfully last month by pundits here. North Korea has been increasing its efforts to equip itself with ballistic missile capacities under orders from its leader Kim Jong-un.

The leaflets were contained in plastic bags that were about 11-by-24 centimetres in size, and each bag carried around 20 leaflets. They were recovered in the Gimpo area around the Hangang River estuary.

“The analysis (by the JCS) showed that the bags carried just the leaflets. But there were possibilities that the bags could carry hazardous objects, which was why we felt the need to alert the press,” the JCS said in a media briefing.

Officials said the leaflets were recovered by the Marine Corp. on a reconnaissance mission.

Military officials said it is “plausible” that the spreading of the leaflets was aimed to test distribution routes via the Han River, which might be a prelude to sending other materials, such as hazardous materials, by the river routes.  TVJ