North Korea understands that the spread of leaflets is a violation of the inter-Korean agreement but it does not intend to change its plan at a time when relations between the North and the South are rapidly failing, according to KCNA, citing a Sunday comment by a spokesperson with the United Front Department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of North Korea.
On Saturday, KCNA reported that Pyongyang had begun preparing leaflets for an information campaign against South Korea. University students were reportedly ready to distribute the leaflets, as soon as the border area is opened and they can gain access to it. KCNA added that Pyongyang had again accused Seoul of failing to support the reconciliation process, adding that South Korean authorities would face horrible times, soon.
Seoul had promised to take urgent measures to ease tensions with Pyongyang and to stop South Korean activists from sending leaflets to North Korea.
Tensions in the region spiked after North Korea cut off communications with its southern neighbor and detonated the joint liaison office in the border town of Kaesong, in response to a long-time campaign by certain groups in South Korea that send leaflets across the border criticizing the policies of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
On Wednesday, North Korea’s General Staff announced that it would redeploy troops to Kaesong and the Mount Kumgang joint tourist zone on the eastern coast, as well as restore guard posts in the demilitarized zone which had been removed after the inter-Korean summit in 2018.