Anchor: A South Korean civic group representing families of abductees held in North Korea has announced it will cease its campaign of sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border in order to help improve inter-Korean relations and bring their loved ones back home.
Rosyn Park reports.

Report: The Abductees’ Families Union declared on Monday that it will stop sending anti-North Korea leaflets across the border.

During a press conference at Imjingak in Paju, located just seven kilometers south of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, Choi Seong-ryong, the head of the civic group, appealed for other groups to join them in suspending their leaflet campaigns.

He also called on President Lee Jae Myung to foster an atmosphere that promotes inter-Korean communication, stressing that dialogue with the North must be conducted quickly, even if it’s held behind closed doors.

Since the start of this year, the civic group has launched balloons into North Korea on three occasions, in April, May, and June, despite efforts by local authorities to curb such activities amid rising tensions along the border.

The balloons carried leaflets containing information about abductees and messages calling for their repatriation. 

In response, the Lee administration ordered preventative measures to stop the “illegal” leaflet launches as part of broader efforts to rebuild peace on the Korean Peninsula.

As part of that push, Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung reached out to the civic group, asking Choi to halt the campaigns and promising that the government would listen to the families’ voices and address their concerns.

Choi said they were moved by the government's outreach and decided to cooperate.

The Unification Ministry has said it plans to maintain close communication with abductees organizations and work alongside them going forward.
Rosyn Park, KBS World Radio News.