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(LEAD) Activists to send N. Korean currency with anti-Pyongyang leaflets
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean activist groups will attach N. Korean currency to anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent into North Korea, replacing US$1 bills, following rumors that citizens found with the notes are punished, an activist said Thursday.
Seoul's National Intelligence Service confirmed that North Korean authorities arrest and interrogate those who possess U.S. dollars that allegedly came with the leaflets from South Korea. But the spy agency declined to comment on what kind of punishment they face.
To prevent further arrests, Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector and head of Fighters for Free North Korea in Seoul, said his organization and another activist group will send 5,000 won North Korean notes -- the highest denomination in the country -- when they fly a fresh batch of balloons into North Korea next month.
"North Korea can't do anything against those found with North Korean money," he said.
The amount is just enough to purchase about 2kg of rice, officials and aid workers say, and is a little more than the average monthly salary for urban workers. A North Korean household needs at least 20,000 won a month to survive, they added.
Park refused to elaborate on how he acquired the North Korean bills, except to say that they passed through China's border region with North Korea. They will fly the balloons carrying about 300,000 leaflets from the inter-Korean border region as soon as the wind direction shifts northward, possibly next month, he said.
Another anti-Pyongyang group, Family Assembly Abducted to North Korea, will also be participating in the upcoming launch, he added.
Despite government appeals, defectors and families of South Korean citizens abducted by the North have been sending balloons containing anti-North Korea flyers for years.
Leaflets describe leader Kim Jong-il's alleged relationships with women and lavish lifestyle, as well as his reported ill health and South Korea's prosperous market economy. In addition to dollar bills, the packages also contain daily necessities rare in North Korea, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, socks, stockings, aspirin, ballpoint pens and lighters.
North Korean authorities have repeatedly denounced the leaflets as "provocative."
Seoul's Unification Ministry urged the activists to refrain from the leaflet campaign, a call that has so far gone unheeded.
"We've asked the non-governmental groups to refrain from the campaign, and we will continue to do so," ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said.
South Koreans can bring North Korean money into the country only for trade purposes and must first receive government approval to do so. Failure to abide by these restrictions can result in three years in jail or a 20 million won (US$15,198) fine. The ministry is reviewing whether the activists' possession of North Korean bills was legitimate.
Park noted that North Korea's State Security Agency, its top spy agency, issued a fresh directive in November to arrest citizens carrying U.S. one dollar bills.
A spokesman for the National Intelligence Service said such sanctions were already in place.
"In connection with the leaflets, North Korea has been stipulating that citizens should report those who possess dollars to the authorities. Such persons are arrested and interrogated," the spokesman said on condition of anonymity.
Critics question the effectiveness of sending money. In a country where individuals keep watch on neighbors and friends, the balloons are often picked up by government authorities, said Lee Seung-yong, an aid worker at Good Friends in Seoul.
North Koreans reportedly make use of the dollar bills by exchanging them for Chinese or local currency in black markets. One dollar bills are rarely circulated in North Korea, as diplomats and merchants usually bring bills in higher denominations.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
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