Aviation law cannot stop leaflet campaign: official

SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government has concluded that it can't stop the scattering of anti-North Korea leaflets with the Aviation Act, an official said Thursday.

Those opposed to the spread of leaflets via balloons have argued that the legislation may provide a legal ground to tackle the civilian campaign, which they say hampers inter-Korean ties.

The law bans any unauthorized flight in the Demilitarized Zone and other controlled areas.

The transpiration ministry, which is in charge of the matter, concluded that the legislation can't be applied to the activists' actions, according to the unification ministry official

"The large-sized balloons used to scatter the leaflets don't have any device for land-based control, meaning they are not considered ultra-small flight apparatuses," the official told reporters on background.

He added there is no change in the government's stance that it has no legal grounds to block the spread of the leaflets across the heavily armed border.

A group of conservative activists here revealed plans to send leaflets critical of the North's leadership and system into the North from Imjingak, a park on the border, on Saturday.

The leaflet issue is a pretext for North Korea to avoid agreed-upon high-level talks with South Korea.

In a statement issued Wednesday night, the North demanded the South first take measures against the leaflet scattering and possible military clashes along the sea and land border.

The unification ministry, which handles daily inter-Korean affairs, dismissed the North's call.

"We reaffirm our position that all issues between the South and the North should be resolved through dialogue," the official said.

The North should stop its unilateral claim aimed at justifying its recent provocative acts near the border and abide by bilateral agreements, he added.

During an Oct. 4 trip by the North's top-level delegation to the South, the two sides agreed to hold another round of vice ministerial talks between late October and early November.

Last week, the South made an offer for talks on Oct. 30, but the North has not responded to it.

Although the North's delegation, led by the communist nation's top military official, Hwang Pyong-so, made the promise just in words, it is a de-facto formal deal between the two Koreas, the ministry official pointed out.

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