SEOUL, A North Korean propaganda outlet on Saturday lashed out at defector groups for sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets, warning of a reaction that could go beyond the explosion of an inter-Korean liaison office two years ago.
The Tongil Shinbo, a weekly North Korean publication, also criticized the Yoon Suk-yeol government for speaking out about human rights in North Korea and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
There could be an action that would exceed the blowup of the liaison office in its border town of Kaesong on June 16, 2020, if North Korean defector groups continue to send goods and leaflets to the North, the newspaper said.
The North’s response comes after a North Korean defectors’ group sent balloons carrying pain relief medication, along with banners denouncing the North’s claim that leaflets sent from the South are responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea.
On June 16, 2020, North Korea blew up the joint liaison office, escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula after near-daily threats to punish Seoul over anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets.
Back then, the surprise provocation sparked concern that North Korea could carry out threats against the South, including taking military action and moving troops to border areas disarmed under inter-Korean agreements.
Source: Yonhap News Agency