South Korean authorities have detained six U.S. citizens after they attempted to send about 1,300 plastic bottles filled with rice, miniature Bibles, U.S. dollar bills, and USB sticks toward North Korea via sea launch near Gwanghwa Island.
Police said the group was intercepted by a coastal military patrol within a restricted “risk zone” bordering North Korea and now face investigation under public safety and disaster management laws. Authorities have yet to disclose the contents of the USB sticks or the identities of those detained.
These types of cross-border missions — historically run by defectors and religious activists — often carry literature, USB drives loaded with media, and humanitarian aid into North Korea. While previously banned from 2021 to 2023, a court ruling reinstated the right to send materials; however, President Lee Jae-myung’s administration has since imposed new safety regulations near border areas.
The incident underscores the continuing tension between civil liberties and cautious diplomacy. Although the South Korean government has paused loudspeaker propaganda efforts at the border in hopes of de-escalation, it is now taking action to curb civilian-led shipments that could provoke North Korean retaliation.
With input from Al Jazeera
