Fighters for a Free North Korea

South Korean human rights organization

Part of a series on

Conservatism
in South Korea

Schools

* Authoritarian
* Ilminism
* Corporate
* Fiscal
* Libertarian
* National
* State-aligned
* Paternalistic
* Populist
* Social
* Traditional
* Hongik Ingan
* neo-Confucian

Principles

* Anti-communism
* Anti-North sentiment
* Asian values
* Confucianism
* Communitarianism
* Elitism
* Meritocracy
* Familialism
* Free trade
* Hierarchy
* Japanophilia
* "New Right"
* Japanophobia
* "Old Right"
* Moral absolutism
* Pro-Americanism
* Protectionism
* South Korea nationalism
* Tradition

History

* First Republic
* Korean War
* Mutual Defense Treaty
* Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
* Third Republic
* October Restoration
* Fourth Republic
* Fifth Republic
* Four Major Rivers Project
* Taegukgi rallies

Intellectuals

* Ch'oe
* Kim (Seong-su)
* Park (Heong-joon)
* Yi
* Yoo

Politicians

* Chun
* Chung
* Choung
* Hwang
* Kim (Du-han)
* Lee (Beom-seok)
* Lee (Hoi-chang)
* Lee (Jun-seok)
* Lee (Myung-bak)
* Kim (Chong-in)
* Kim (Gu)
* Kim (Jin-pyo)
* Kim (Jong-pil)
* Kim (Kyu-sik)
* Kim (Moo-sung)
* Kim (Young-sam)
* Na
* Oh
* Park (Chung Hee)
* Park (Geun-hye)
* Roh
* Syngman
* Suh
* Yoon

Activists

* Ha
* Park (Sang-hak)

Parties

Active

* Liberal Unification Party
* New National Participation Party
* Our Republican Party (2020)
* People Power Party
* Reform Party
* Saenuri Party

Defunct

* Bareun Party
* Bareunmirae Party
* Dawn of Liberty Party
* Democratic Republican Party
* Democratic Justice Party
* Free Korea 21
* Future Korea Party
* Korea Democratic Party
* Korea Independence Party
* Korea Nationalist Party
* Korean National Party
* Korean National Youth Association
* Liberal Party
* Liberty Unification Party
* Liberty Korea Party
* National Association
* New Conservative Party
* New Korea Party
* Our Republican Party (2017)
* People First Party
* People Future Party
* People Party
* Unification National Party
* United Liberal Democrats

Media

* The Chosun Ilbo
* TV Chosun
* The Dong-A Ilbo
* Channel A
* JoongAng Ilbo
* JTBC
* The Korea Economic Daily
* Kukmin Ilbo
* Maeil Business Newspaper
* MBN
* Munhwa Ilbo
* Segye Ilbo

Organizations

Active

* Center for Free Enterprise
* Christian Council of Korea
* FFNK
* Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations
* NKnet
* Unification Church

Defunct

* Hanahoe
* North-West Youth Association
* White Shirts Society

Related topics

* Anti-Chinese sentiment
* Anti-PRC
* Chaebol
* Chojoongdong
* Controversy over National Foundation Day
* Ilbe Storehouse
* National Security Act
* Politics of South Korea
* Liberalism
* Progressivism
* Pro-ROC sentiment

* Conservatism portal
* South Korea portal

* v
* t
* e

Fighters for a Free North Korea (FFNK, Korean: 자유북한운동연합) is an organization formed in South Korea that is known for periodically launching balloons carrying human rights and pro-democracy literature, DVDs, transistor radios and USB flash drives from South Korea into North Korea. Over two million such balloons have been launched. The balloons, which generally reach their destination area after three to four hours in the air, are timed to release their materials in the Pyongyang area.[1]

## Balloon drops

[edit]

Main article: Balloon campaigns in Korea

A principal method of getting news and arts from the outside world into the so-called "hermit kingdom"[2] of North Korea has been the use of airdrops of materials that have been flown over the border by balloon. The balloons are hydrogen gas balloons that carry a wide range of materials such as transistor radios, entertainment DVDs and brochures.[3][4] The materials sent are "intended to introduce North Koreans to the rest of the world".[4] The popularity of low cost battery powered Portable DVD players in North Korea allows families to watch Chinese and South Korean programs on SD cards and USB flash drives.[5]

According to The Wall Street Journal in 2013, supporters of the balloon campaign say that it "is one of the most effective tools for change inside North Korea, where information about the outside world is highly restricted". Critics of the campaign, reported the Journal, "oppose the move for causing inter-Korean frictions".[6]

Some balloon drops have been interrupted by South Korean authorities. In October 2012, Park Sang-hak and his colleagues released balloons containing leaflets from Ganghwa, an island off the west coast of South Korea, shortly after being prevented by authorities from releasing them from Paju, their usual launch site, which North Korea had threatened to fire upon if the balloon release went forward.[6]

In December 2020, South Korea's National Assembly passed a law that penalizes South Korean activists who send anti-North Korean material across the border. Park Sang-hak, the chairman of Fighters For A Free North Korea, has said that he's "disappointed" about the new law and believes it "calls South Korea's commitment to democracy into question."[7] In September 2023, South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down the law citing concerns about free speech.[8]

## Partnership organizations

[edit]

FFNK has partnered with the Human Rights Foundation on activities to get liberty-oriented materials across the border and into North Korea since 2013. Drops have included offline copies of the Korean Wikipedia on a bootable USB memory device.[2]

Following an international geopolitical controversy in December 2014, both organizations had planned to obtain DVD copies of The Interview—whose Christmas 2014 theatrical release was initially canceled, and then released to independent and arthouse cinemas as well as online[9][10]—and move them across the border and into North Korea via balloon drops.[3][11] The balloon drop was postponed after the North Korean government referred to the plan as a de facto "declaration of war."[12][13]

North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity is another human rights organization that works with FFNK in moving contraband material into North Korea. Methods of getting the materials into the hands of North Korean citizens include standing on the South Korean side of a border river and throwing "bins packed with contraband toward the North Korean side, where someone will wade into the river to retrieve the bins then quickly change clothes, because soldiers are trained to shoot anyone in the area with wet clothing because it is an indication they are engaging in illegal activity".[14]

## See also

[edit]

* North Korea portal

* Free Joseon
* Free North Korea Radio
* North Korean People's Liberation Front
* Park Sang-hak
* Cyberactivism in North Korea

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Macneill, David (September 17, 2011). "North Korean hitman foiled in plot to poison top dissident". The Independent. London. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
2. ^ a b Segall, Laurie (18 December 2014). "Activists plan to drop 'Interview' DVDs in North Korea". CNN Money. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
3. ^ a b "Launching Balloons into North Korea: Propaganda Over Pyongyang". VICE news. 18 March 2015.
4. ^ a b Halleck, Thomas (16 December 2014). "Activists Plan To Launch 'The Interview' DVDs Into North Korea". International Business Times. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
5. ^ "The $50 device that symbolizes a shift in North Korea". Reuters. 27 March 2015.
6. ^ a b Kwaak, Jeyup. "North Korea Activist Wins Human Rights Award". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
7. ^ Strother, Jason (December 15, 2020). "Seoul Bans Anti-North Korea Leaflet Drops".
8. ^ "South Korea's Constitutional Court strikes down law banning anti-Pyongyang leafleting". AP News. 2023-09-26. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
9. ^ Shaw, Lucas (December 23, 2014). "Sony to Release The Interview in More Than 300 Theaters on Christmas Day." Bloomberg. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
10. ^ Pankratz, Howard (December 23, 2014). "Alamo Drafthouse in Littleton will screen 'The Interview' starting Christmas". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
11. ^ Paul Bond (December 16, 2014). "Sony Hack: Activists to Drop 'Interview' DVDs Over North Korea Via Balloon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
12. ^ "South Korean activists postpone sending of copies of The Interview to North Korea by balloon". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 March 2015.
13. ^ Gillian Mohney (23 March 2015). "North Korea Calls Planned Balloon Drop of 'The Interview' DVDs a 'De Facto Declaration of War'". VICE News.
14. ^ Bond, Paul (16 December 2014). "Sony Hack: Activists to Drop 'Interview' DVDs Over North Korea Via Balloon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 December 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* official website

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template