ROK may block civic groups flying anti-DPRK leaflets

SEOUL - Police of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said Friday that it would block civic groups flying leaflets against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) across the border if any violence occurs with those opposed to the leaflets scattering.

A National Policy Agency (NPA) official was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying that police forces would be deployed to prevent accidents from happening in case of clash between civic groups and opponents, though the police basically have no legal ground to block private groups from scattering such leaflets.

The comment came a day before the scheduled dispersion Saturday of anti-DPRK leaflets by the ROK civic groups, composed mainly of the so-called "defectors" from the DPRK.

Some conservative activists announced a plan earlier to float about 40,000-50,000 leaflets, which would reportedly denounce the DPRK regime and top leader Kim Jong Un, in Imjingak, a park near the western land border.

Residents in Paju, where the park is located, and other civic groups opposed to scattering ant-DPRK leaflets said they will stem the leaflets dispersion, which threatened the lives and damaged the livelihoods of residents there.

On Oct 10, the DPRK fired machine gun shots at balloons carrying anti-DPRK leaflets floated by a ROK civic group. ROK soldiers shot back after some of the anti-balloon bullets flew across the border.

The DPRK's KCNA news agency reported Friday that Pyongyang would not tolerate any provocation from the ROK, describing the anti-DPRK leaflets dispersion as "declaration of war."

Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said during a parliamentary audit Friday that the government could consider a way of preventing possibly physical and property losses of South Koreans from the leaflets scattering, though the government has no legal ground to block such a freedom of expression.

Ryoo said he was closely watching possible problems that can be caused by the leaflets dispersion, citing safety of residents in Paju, some 40 km northwest of capital Seoul, and possible clashes between civic groups and their opponents.

Meanwhile, the ROK Prime Minister's Office provided four civic groups, which participated in the leaflets scattering, with subsidies worth 200 million won ($190,000) in the past two years, Rep. Min Byung-du of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy said Friday, citing data from the office.

Min urged the government to stop offering such an "inappropriate support" to the civic groups if President Park Geun- hye wants to realize her signature goal of "reunification as a bonanza."