Czech Republic questions S. Korea’s ban on leaflet campaigns

Concerns and criticisms on South Korea's law against anti-Pyongyang leaflets are spreading further across the international community as the Czech Republic also raised questions about the ban following the United States and Britain. In response, the South Korean government tries to turn it around. However, controversy does not seem to cool down for the time being.

The Czech Foreign Ministry asked the South Korean government about the purposes and content of its ban on anti-Pyongyang leaflets, saying that it has been looking at the law closely, according to Voice of America on Wednesday (local time).

Zuzana Stichova, the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry’s Public Affairs Bureau, said in an email to VOA that the Czech government took a careful look at Seoul's measure and asked it questions about its functions and intent. She said that the Czech Foreign Ministry was notified of South Korea’s approval of the law against leaflet campaigns against North Korea and communicated with South Korean delegations via diplomatic channels.

Director Stichova projected that there will be intra-E.U. discussions on Seoul's measure in the near future, implying that it may become an agenda item not only in the Czech Republic but also in the European Union. She added that human rights have top priority in Czech diplomatic policy and South Korea has a democratic administration to promote and respect human rights including freedom of speech. Earlier, the British Parliament also expressed criticism on the leaflet ban.


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