International human rights groups called on the South Korean government to lift its domestic ban on sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets after a local defector group claimed to have recently sent such propaganda materials across the inter-Korean border, thereby breaching current legislation.

Speaking to Voice of America(VOA) on Friday, John Sifton, the Asia Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch, said the law is a violation of freedom of expression and added that if it can not be repealed, it must at least be limited.

Accusing Seoul of being hostile toward non-governmental organizations working on North Korea human rights issues, Sifton said the ban is counterproductive, stressing that Pyongyang needs to face more pressure on its human rights record, not less.

North Korea Freedom Coalition(NKFC) chairperson Suzanne Scholte told VOA that the ban goes against the South Korean constitution, as well as the country's obligation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Greg Scarlatoiu, the executive director of the Washington-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, predicted that the law will be abolished under the incoming Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

Depending on changes in the South Korean parliament and the involvement of the Constitutional Court, Scarlatoiu added that even if the law remains on the books, enforcement will eventually cease.