S Korean, Japanese activists send leaflets by balloon toward N Korea

SKorea and Japan seeking attention through leaflets? e-friendly approach.

They should be sending leaflets with pictures of supermarkets. Aisles and aisles of food there for the taking. Also some pictures of modern homes with all the amenities... I bet a picture of a flat screen TV would blow the mind of a poor North Korean farmer.

Show them the difference between their so-called "People's Republic" and a real democratic republic.

But good luck hoping the North Koreans rise up... it'd be a slaughter. Pitchforks and large sticks aren't much of a match for rifles, tanks, and machine guns. Outside interference is pretty much their only hope. Pretty sad.

Silly attempts.....get over with it(sinking of Cheonan).The 46 lives lost were just figures not tragedy!

Cant wait to see that sexy news reporter with the man voice from NK to condemn this event. LOL!

martinli92: The 46 lives lost were just figures not tragedy!

What a great opinion! Thank you for sharing it.

martinli92-- No. Way to be ignorant and disrespectful.

This makes me so sad. I wonder how many of those leaflets would actually make it into the hands of the people.

Can you picture the North Korean troops chasing those balloons as if their lives depended on it?

Can you picture the North Korean troops chasing those balloons as if their lives depended on it?

Also, can you imagine the NK troops blowing away anybody that picked a leaflet up and started reading it?

I feel sorry for the poor and hungry in NK that dont know what it's like outside thier Dear Leader's country.

Beligerence doesn't seem like a tactic that will have the right sort of impact. I like your idea, bumblebeetuna!

To any Japanese "activists", dudes this is not our war. Stand aside, let the Koreans knock each other silly. Both the North and South hate our guts, they are using you for their own purposes. Japan needs to have nothing to do with this.

nine balloons and 540,000 leaflets

Just re-read the article. GEEEEZZZ!! How big are these baloons??!! I was thinking ballons like you get at a crnival or something. 60,000 leaflets per balloon? Them things must be huge? or the leaflets must be tiny?

The starving North Koreans will either have a good supply of toilet paper or something to eat if the NK military sees them reading them.

martinli92: lives lost is always a tragedy no matter the reason. YuriOtani: guess you want to see Japan isolated from the rest of the world again? I would love to see more of this involvement in domestic issues though.

Both the North and South hate our guts

YuriOtani, please don't be such a pessimist. It's wonderful to see South Koreans and Japanese collaborsating. There have been lots of good steps forward over the past 12 years especially, and I think the younger generations have a much more mutually respectful relationship.

“We’d like to punish the Kim Jong Il government by spreading the truth written on these leaflets,” said Seo Jung-gab, president of the National Action Campaign, one of the participating groups.

Yeah...that'll learn em.

@Yuriotani. Have you even been to South Korea? Recently i took a trip there and yes i am aware of the political bashing between South Korea and Japan, but most people i met there were really interested in a positive way about japanese people and japanese culture, and many even speak simple japanese. So try and learn more about South Korea instead of just reading the newspapers.

The NGOs of south Korea should including this in the leaflets: In 9 November 2009 a north Korean naval vessel was under attck by ROK navy, the incident happened at Daecheong-do,18 miles from North Korea. The assault by ROK navy causing one NK sailor died in the clash while three others were wounded. That will be more conclusive over the entire incident of 'Cheonan'!

These gooses have got to be careful. The problem with poking a caged dog with a stick is, someday that dog will get out.

They should attach food to the baloons and not leaflets, as most of the North Koreans cannot read anyway.

Er, just nine balloons were released, and "it was unclear whether any of them would actually reach North Korea"...

So, despite the MASSIVE impression given by the title, there is almost no content to this story at all.

Shouldn't this be considered as littering?

This same technique was used by Japan in the 40's to bomb the states. One bomb blew up a 10 year old girl on a church picnic in Oregon. There really is nothing new under the sun.

should have dropped a few mangas and smut magazines in the basket too.... That would be classic.

Littering! that will show those pesky North Koreans!

YuriOtani ohhhhhh yea hell lets keep the hate going brother (Duuuuu)

Hey lets even bring back Hitler and starlin and throw in a Sudam Husain.

Come on living in the past, and past mistakes will not help the world move on, I understand what these people are trying to achieve.

Mutual respect and understanding is far more benificial than any war. The past will not be forgotten I`m sure, but lets make a better future.

Laurie Anderson once did a song about how planes should bomb tyrannical states with odd, whimsy objects... because only in a free society would people be prosperous and liberated enough to produce them. Actual objects would be better than photographs (good bumblebee) or even food (good one Goddog).

I recommend used CDs of any kind in any language, toys, lots of Sanrio character goods, Playstations with cassettes, or little battery powered games like you get in Happy Meals. Things like this will get their imaginations going. Barring that, I think that joke books and self-help or diet books would really throw them for a loop. Google Map images of their own region?

The norks have to change their country for themselves. If they have to march with pitchforks against tanks, then that is what they have to do. They just need to want it enough. If they starve anyway, what is the use? I think they are coming closer to seeing that. Does anyone remember when the Romanian communist regime fell? Someone posted above about tormenting a dog in a cage. Well maybe that dog is the nork people and Kim will get his comeuppance when the dog gets out. Personally, I would rather be shot than ripped up by fifty pitchforks.

ha ha ha is there such a thing as a japanese "activist" then???

Yeah, leaflets will definitely persuade the North Koreans to leave the cult of Kim. In our lifetime I doubt you will ever see a democratic North Korea.

WMD - ha ha ha is there such a thing as a japanese "activist" then???

Yeah, but within Japan they are called, right-wing extremists and drive big black vehicles with annoyingly loud speakers spouting raciest rants.

Usaexpat. Friendly bet. My lifetime is not likely to be as long as yours, but put me down for "a democratic regime governing NKorea within the next 30 years." I actually think it will be a LOT less than that, but I don't want to tip my hand OR give up my hedge.

It has happened too many times during my lifetime. Who would have thought in 1980 that "the evil empire" regime would be nonexistent by 1990? And Tiananmen, And the "revolution" in the Philippines too. Vietnam has been slow to change in some ways, but not in others. We'll see.

In my lifetime, it has been true that the longer regimes wait and try to hold on to power, the harder they fall. North Korea is a Romania or an Albania. It has depreciated its capital stock and has nothing to replace it with. Its people are uneducated and have no path to improve themselves. It is falling apart. These Stalinist regimes end bloody and bitter, but South Korea will be a focus for renewal, so all should end well. As we know all too well, "democracy" is certainly no guarantee of a well managed state, but it will be much better than what they have. These balloons and attempts at showing international good will are going to mean a lot whenever that revolution comes.

This does not affect our wager, but just as a guess, I would say that the ball will start rolling when Kim dies. Just about any path that is pursued thereafter will lead to major regime change one way or another. Anything up until that time makes very little difference, really. It will be like Tito dying, but without the ethnic tit for tat.

Japan needs to have nothing to do with this.

You can't win if you don't play the game.

Last time Japan got involved in the affairs of Korea, we got burned. Once burned twice learned. I have been to Korea, they really hate all Japanese. These "activists" will be lucky not to get arrested by the South. Interfering in their internal affairs or something. Leave Korea to the Koreans, live the lessons learned by bitter experience. Do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Sending leaflets in balloons giving encouragement to the NKoreans to revolt is the only thing to do. I applaud the SKorean and Japanese activists. This has been done many times in the past and the activists need to keep doing it. Remember that this is not a governmental scheme so KJI need not blame them... though he certainly will.

The only way to get shorty is from inside as I have said many times before. He can't exactly send a missile on top of himself. Imagine a NK underground movement.

For those who say Japan shouldn't get involved have no idea about history. Japan committed more atrocities in the northern part of Korea (North Korea) during Japan's annexation of Korea. There is no doubt NK still has Japan on its target.

@ YuriOtani,

Not all SKoreans hate the Japanese. There are many connections with Japan, both familial and cultural. I know many Japanese that feel totally comfortable and have great experiences there. They were probably out to "get" just you. LOL

Government control and brainwashing in North Korea is so absolute, that an internal grass-roots uprising would be very unlikely to succeed.

Before sending leaflets into the North, those involved should think carefully about the consequences for any North Korean who is caught looking at one.

Leaflets have been sent since the 50s. Not doing anything shows complacency. That is not an option.