Latest news with #propaganda
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South Korea tries a different tack to sway its nuclear-armed neighbour: an olive branch
On a day heavy with memory, South Korea 's President Lee Jae-myung invoked the language of peace, urging restraint and dialogue even as the nuclear-armed North forges deeper ties with Russia and the Korean peninsula bristles with tension. 'The surest way to secure our safety is to build peace – peace so strong that there is no need to fight,' Lee said in a solemn social media post, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the onset of the Korean war. The conflict from 1950–53 left millions dead and ended with an armistice, but no peace treaty. 'The era of relying solely on military strength to defend the country is over,' Lee wrote in his post. 'It is better to win without war than to win through war.' His message was more than just rhetoric. In recent weeks, Lee's newly formed government has moved to recalibrate the peninsula's dangerous status quo, seeking to nudge North Korea from confrontation to conversation, even as the spectre of conflict looms larger than at any time in recent memory. A North Korean soldier stands guard in a watchtower next to a giant loudspeaker (right) near the demilitarised zone dividing the two Koreas on June 12. Photo: AFP In a gesture laden with symbolism, Seoul this month halted its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the border – the first such move in a year. Within hours, Pyongyang reciprocated, silencing its own speakers.
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Six Americans arrested for trying to smuggle rice into North Korea
Six Americans have been detained in South Korea for trying to float 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, miniature Bibles, $1 bills, and USB sticks toward North Korea. The Americans, missionaries aged from their 20s to 50s, were apprehended on front-line Gwanghwa Island about 1.06am on Friday, local time. Cops grabbed them before they could throw the bottles into the sea so they could float toward North Korean shores on the tides, two Gwanghwa police officers alleged. They said the Americans are being investigated on allegations they violated the law on the management of safety and disasters. The officers, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to media on the issue, refused to provide personal details of the Americans in line with privacy rules. Gwanghwa police said they haven't yet found what is on the USB sticks. 'Because the suspects do not speak Korean fluently, we plan to conduct further questioning with the assistance of an interpreter,' they said. Plastic bags containing Bible passages are prepared prior to being thrown into the sea by North Korean defector activists on Ganghwa island, west of Seoul on May 1, 2018 The US Embassy in South Korea had no immediate public comment. For years, activists have sought to float plastic bottles or fly balloons across the border carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets and USB thumb drives carrying South Korean dramas and K-pop songs. This practice that was banned from 2021-2023 over concerns it could inflame tensions with the North. North Korea responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger. Last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites including the presidential compound. South Korea´s Constitutional Court struck down a controversial law in 2023 that criminalized the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. But since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up tensions with North Korea and promote the safety of frontline South Korean residents. Police detained an activist on June 14 for allegedly flying balloons toward North Korea from Gwanghwa Island. Police created a dedicated task force to prevent items crossing the border into the North, in response to Friday's arrests. 'We will strengthen coordination with relevant bodies to completely block these leaflet operations and respond strictly to any violations according to the law,' they said. Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee's government halted frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts to try to ease military tensions. North Korean broadcasts have not been heard in South Korean front-line towns since then. But it's unclear if North Korea will respond to Lee's conciliatory gesture after vowing last year to sever relations with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification. Official talks between the Koreas have been stalled since 2019, when US-led diplomacy on North Korean denuclearization derailed.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Six Americans caught trying to float rice and Bibles to North Korea
Six American citizens have been detained in South Korea after allegedly attempting to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, US dollar bills, and Bibles towards North Korea by sea. The individuals were apprehended on Friday on Gwanghwa Island, a front-line location, where they reportedly tried to launch the bottles into the sea. Their intention was for the containers to float across the maritime border with North Korea via tidal currents. A police officer, who spoke anonymously as they were not authorised to comment publicly, stated that the Americans are currently under investigation. They face allegations of violating South Korea's law on the management of safety and disasters. A second South Korean police officer confirmed the detentions of the Americans. The police officers gave no further details, including whether any of the six had made previous attempts to send bottles toward North Korea. Activists floating plastic bottles or flying balloons carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets across the border has long caused tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea expressed its anger at the balloon campaigns by launching its own balloons carrying trash into South Korea, including at least two that landed in the presidential compound in Seoul last year. In 2023, South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a 2020 law that criminalized the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. But since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up tensions with North Korea and promote the safety of frontline South Korean residents. On June 14, police detained an activist for allegedly flying balloons toward North Korea from Gwanghwa Island. Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee's government halted frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts to try to ease military tensions. North Korean broadcasts have not been heard in South Korean front-line towns since then. But it's unclear if North Korea will respond to Lee's conciliatory gesture after it vowed last year to sever relations with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification. Official talks between the Koreas have been stalled since 2019 when the U.S.-led diplomacy on North Korean denuclearization derailed.
CTV News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
6 Americans detained in South Korea for trying to send rice and Bibles to North Korea by sea
A North Korean military guard post, left, and loudspeaker are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File) SEOUL, South Korea — Six Americans were detained Friday in South Korea for trying to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, miniature Bibles, $1 bills and USB sticks toward North Korea by sea, police said. The Americans were apprehended on front-line Gwanghwa Island before throwing the bottles into the sea so they could float toward North Korean shores on the tides, two Gwanghwa police officers said. They said the Americans are being investigated on allegations they violated the law on the management of safety and disasters. The officers, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to media on the issue, refused to provide personal details of the Americans in line with privacy rules. Gwanghwa police said they haven't found what is on the USB sticks. The U.S. Embassy in South Korea had no immediate public comment. For years, activists have sought to float plastic bottles or fly balloons across the border carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets and USB thumb drives carrying South Korean dramas and K-pop songs, a practice that was banned from 2021 to 2023 over concerns it could inflame tensions with the North. North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites including the presidential compound. In 2023, South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a controversial law that criminalized the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. But since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up tensions with North Korea and promote the safety of front-line South Korean residents. On June 14, police detained an activist for allegedly flying balloons toward North Korea from Gwanghwa Island. Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee's government halted frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts to try to ease military tensions. North Korean broadcasts have not been heard in South Korean front-line towns since then. But it's unclear if North Korea will respond to Lee's conciliatory gesture after vowing last year to sever relations with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification. Official talks between the Koreas have been stalled since 2019, when U.S.-led diplomacy on North Korean denuclearization derailed. Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Six Americans caught trying to float rice and Bibles to North Korea by sea
Six American citizens have been detained in South Korea after allegedly attempting to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, US dollar bills, and Bibles towards North Korea by sea. The individuals were apprehended on Friday on Gwanghwa Island, a front-line location, where they reportedly tried to launch the bottles into the sea. Their intention was for the containers to float across the maritime border with North Korea via tidal currents. A police officer, who spoke anonymously as they were not authorised to comment publicly, stated that the Americans are currently under investigation. They face allegations of violating South Korea's law on the management of safety and disasters. A second South Korean police officer confirmed the detentions of the Americans. The police officers gave no further details, including whether any of the six had made previous attempts to send bottles toward North Korea. Activists floating plastic bottles or flying balloons carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets across the border has long caused tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea expressed its anger at the balloon campaigns by launching its own balloons carrying trash into South Korea, including at least two that landed in the presidential compound in Seoul last year. In 2023, South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a 2020 law that criminalized the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. But since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up tensions with North Korea and promote the safety of frontline South Korean residents. On June 14, police detained an activist for allegedly flying balloons toward North Korea from Gwanghwa Island. Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee's government halted frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts to try to ease military tensions. North Korean broadcasts have not been heard in South Korean front-line towns since then. But it's unclear if North Korea will respond to Lee's conciliatory gesture after it vowed last year to sever relations with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification. Official talks between the Koreas have been stalled since 2019 when the U.S.-led diplomacy on North Korean denuclearization derailed.
