The government has reconfirmed that that it can't stop civic groups from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets in balloons over the inter-Korean border.
 
In a briefing Monday, Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said mobilizing police forces to stop the civic groups isn't compatible with the government's position.
 
Lim said police had been dispatched to the scene in the past to take safety measures to protect the life and property of citizens, not to restrict the leaflet distribution.
 
Concerning plans by civic groups to send more leaflets on Saturday, Lim said the government will continue to convey messages to them to be cautious and sensible.
 
Meanwhile, North Korea stressed the need to improve inter-Korean relations without mentioning the exchange of fire in the border area Sunday. The North's Rodong Sinmun reported Monday that the improvement in inter-Korean relations created by the visit of high-level North Korean officials to the South on October 4 has been dampened by the leaflets and that Seoul must stop slandering Pyongyang.