Six American citizens were detained by South Korean authorities on Friday for allegedly trying to ship Bibles, rice, and U.S. dollar bills into North Korea via plastic bottles.
The group was apprehended around 1:03 a.m. on Ganghwa Island, located northwest of Seoul, near the maritime border with North Korea. According to local police, the six individuals—aged between their 20s and 50s—were trying to launch thousands of these bottles into the water.
“We have detained and are questioning six American citizens on suspicion of violating the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety,” said the head of the investigation team at Ganghwa Police Station in Incheon, speaking to AFP.
“Since they do not speak Korean, an interpreter has been provided for the investigation.”
Ganghwa Island is one of the closest South Korean territories to the North, with some waters just 10 kilometres (about six miles) from the border. The island has long been a hub for non-profit organizations and anti-regime activists who send messages, food, and information across the border using balloons or bottles.
However, the area was officially designated a restricted “danger zone” in November due to the sensitive nature of such activities, which South Korean authorities warned could be seen as provocative by North Korea.
Tensions between the two Koreas flared last year in a propaganda standoff. North Korea launched waves of balloons filled with trash into the South, calling it retaliation for South Korean activists sending anti-regime leaflets across the border. In response, Seoul resumed loudspeaker broadcasts at the border featuring K-pop music and international news. North Korea retaliated by broadcasting eerie and disruptive sounds, which became a nuisance for residents in nearby areas.
South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, who took office earlier this month, has pledged a more conciliatory approach toward Pyongyang. One of his first actions was halting the loudspeaker broadcasts—a move that North Korea reciprocated by stopping its own transmissions the next day.
— AFP
