Abductee families’ group vows to send leaflets to Pyongyang next week

A group representing the families of those abducted by North Korea vowed Thursday to fly leaflets into North Korea next week, aiming to raise awareness about the abductee issue.

About 100,000 leaflets bearing the names and photos of abductees in North Korea will be sent across the border from the western border city of Paju sometime next week, the group said in a press conference in Suwon, south of Seoul.

A copy of the leaflet shown by the group included images and descriptions of those abducted by North Korea, including Megumi Yokota from Japan and five other Koreans who were abducted as high school students.

Choi Seong-ryong, the group’s head, vowed to use all means to ensure the leaflets land in downtown Pyongyang, saying the group would have no better opportunity to raise awareness about the abductee issue.

Their planned action also aims to press North Korea to engage in dialogue over the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and to halt its trash balloon campaign against the South, he said.

“Considering various circumstances, we will scatter (the leaflets) next week under any condition ... and one-dollar bills will be included with them,” Choi said.

The exact timing and location of the action will be disclosed later, he said.

Earlier in the day, North Korea launched about 20 balloons carrying trash toward South Korea in the latest instance of a sustained on-and-off propaganda campaign that has raised tensions with Seoul.

Citing potential security risks to residents, the regional government of Gyeonggi designated Paju and two other regions below the inter-Korean border as “danger zones” requiring disaster protection, effective from Oct. 16 to Nov. 30.

The Gyeonggi regional authorities, military and police are expected to discuss joint responses to block the declared leaflet campaign. (Yonhap)