South Korea’s human rights watchdog has advised the government against prohibiting the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets to North Korea, on the grounds that freedom of speech should be protected.
 
A number of officials of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said Monday that eight out of 11 standing members voted for the decision at a plenary meeting on January 26.
 
It is said that Jang Myung-sook and Kang Myung-deuk voted against the decision. Another unnamed member abstained from the voting.
 
The NHRCK’s decision will likely raise controversy over whether freedom of speech should be prioritized over the safety of residents near the inter-Korean border. The North has angrily responded to the anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns, led by North Korean defectors, for years. Last October, the North fired machine guns at the campaigners, with some of the rounds falling near a border town in the South. 
 
Political pundits say it will also deepen doubt over the political neutrality of the human rights watchdog. The commission has been criticized for siding with conservative voices over several issues.