The South Korean Ministry of National Defense has revealed that propaganda leaflets from North Korea have been found in areas north of Seoul for the first time since the two Koreas reached an agreement not to slander each other in 2000.

Kim Min Seok, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told a press briefing this morning, “Ten or so different leaflets produced in North Korea were discovered in areas of South Korea between July 21st and 25th. The total number of leaflets is more than 16,000, and they were discovered by our soldiers along the border having been sent toward Paju and Yangju.”

“The balloons have similar components to those balloons that North Korea used in the past,” he added.

▲ “Like family in the north, like a criminal in the south,” one of the leaflets declares.

Among various topics, the leaflets, about 9cm by 13cm in size (see picture), include information on: 1) claims about South Korea’s unjust treatment of Ro Su Hui, the Vice-chairman of the South Korean side of the Reunification of the Fatherland Union who was arrested for violation of the National Security Law when he returned to South Korea after more than 100 days in the North on July 5th; 2) information on ‘re-defector’ Park In Sook’s “happy” return to North Korea after six years spent living in the South; and 3) information on North Korea’s ‘discovery’ of a plot to blow up statues of Kim Il Sung allegedly being sponsored by U.S. and South Korean groups.

He added, “North Korea’s intentions in sending the leaflets is to provide justification for their various stances, but we are still attempting to work out the background as to why they restarted sending them now after 12 years without doing so. There was no information criticizing President Lee Myung Bak within the leaflets, and we are trying to figure out what department they were sent by.”

▲ A second leaflet employs North Korean media coverage of the so-called “Statue Demolition Society,” a group that was allegedly plotting to destroy statues of Kim Il Sung. (all images © Ministry of National Defense)