'Ban on Leaflets to North Korea in Border Areas' Aviation Safety Act Passes National Assembly Committee Led by Ruling Party

Opposition Party Protests, Citing "Looking at Kim Yo Jong's Mood," and Walks Out... State Audit to Begin on the 13th of Next Month

National Assembly Land and Transport Committee Plenary Session (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Park Dong-ju = The plenary session of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee is being held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 25th. 2025.9.25 pdj6635@yna.co.kr

An amendment to the Aviation Safety Act, which prohibits the scattering of leaflets to North Korea in no-fly zones such as border areas, passed the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on the 24th.

The committee passed the amendment to the Aviation Safety Act, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, at its plenary session that day. The People Power Party lawmakers protested the bill's passage and abstained from the vote, walking out.

The amendment stipulates that unmanned aerial devices, regardless of the weight of attached objects, cannot be launched into the air in no-fly zones, including border regions.

Under the current law, government permission is required to launch unmanned devices weighing 2kg or more into the air.

Consequently, North Korean human rights groups have been using balloons carrying leaflets weighing less than 2kg, which do not require government permission, to send them to North Korea.

Reflecting the government's concerns about over-regulation, the amendment passed today includes provisions for exceptions in cases such as meteorological observation, border events, research and development purposes, or personal hobby and leisure activities.

The People Power Party argued that "the constitutionality concerns have not been perfectly resolved" and protested the amendment's passage.

Kwon Young-jin, the floor leader for the People Power Party, stated, "There are still many disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties regarding this law, and the constitutional concerns have not been fully resolved in practice," adding, "We hope the ruling and opposition parties will discuss this further, as there are various differing opinions that do not align with the legislative intent."

Rep. Kim Hee-jung of the same party stated, "Why are we only looking at the moods of Kim Yo Jong and Kim Jong Un?" and walked out, saying, "We should be doing things for our citizens."

The committee also adopted the 2025 State Audit plan that day and resolved to conduct state audits of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, among others, from the 13th to the 29th of next month. Yonhap News