A South Korean police officer said that the group of six tried to release around 1,600 plastic bottles into the water from Gwanghwa Island, a frontline area near the North Korean border. The aim was for the bottles to drift to North Korea with the sea currents
Six American citizens were detained by South Korean authorities, officials said. Representational Pic/File/AFP
As many as six American citizens were detained by South Korean authorities after allegedly attempting to send plastic bottles filled with rice, US dollars, and Bibles towards North Korea via the sea, police said on Friday, reported AP.
A South Korean police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the group tried to release around 1,600 plastic bottles into the water from Gwanghwa Island, a frontline area near the North Korean border. The aim was for the bottles to drift to North Korea with the sea currents, according to an AP report.
The US citizens are under investigation for suspected violations of South Korea’s laws governing safety and disaster management.
An officer confirmed the detentions but declined to give further details, including whether any of the group had made similar attempts previously.
Efforts by activists to send messages, aid, and propaganda across the border -- whether by sea or by air -- have long provoked tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In response to leaflet campaigns, North Korea has sent its own balloons laden with rubbish into South Korea, some of which landed inside the presidential compound in Seoul last year, as per the AP report.
In 2023, South Korea’s Constitutional Court struck down a controversial 2020 law that banned sending materials into the North, ruling it overly restricted free expression.
However, the recently elected government of President Lee Jae Myung has vowed to curb such activities using alternative safety-related legislation, citing public security and the risk of provoking hostilities.
On June 14, a South Korean activist was also detained for launching balloons towards North Korea from the same island.
President Lee, who took office earlier this month, has promised to revive dialogue with Pyongyang and promote peace on the peninsula. His administration has halted propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border in a bid to reduce military tensions. Since then, North Korean broadcasts have also ceased in South Korean border areas.
Meanwhile, it remains uncertain whether North Korea will reciprocate. Last year, Pyongyang declared its intention to cut ties with the South and abandon reunification efforts. Talks between the two Koreas and the United States have been stalled since the collapse of denuclearisation negotiations in 2019, the news agency reported on Friday.
(with AP inputs)
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