Adventure among South Korea's rebellious hot air balloon enthusiasts at night
In the divided Korean Peninsula, a group of activists, led by a North Korean defector named Park, are waging a unique form of resistance against the North Korean regime. Park, along with a helper, embarked on a mission to launch handmade balloons carrying anti-regime propaganda and vital supplies towards North Korea, in a bid to break the information blockade imposed by the North Korean government [1][3][4].
This mission took place in Korea Bay, near the Sea of Japan (East Sea), as part of a larger balloon war between South and North Korea. This aerial dispute is a tit-for-tat response, with South Korea launching propaganda balloons and North Korea retaliating with garbage attacks [2].
The balloons, elongated and clear plastic mammoths reaching heights of four or five stories tall, carried items like biblical tracts, U.S. dollar bills, pro-democracy leaflets, rice, and women's hygiene products [3]. These items, subversive or in short supply in North Korea, are intended to sow seeds of doubt and encourage awareness and, potentially, defection or resistance [1][3][4].
Park, the younger of the two defector leaders, constructs his balloons from tough but lightweight plastic used for agricultural purposes. Some balloonists even include their real names and phone numbers on their political leaflets, hoping to connect with someone on the other side of the fortified border, but nobody has called yet [3].
This clandestine activity has a deep-rooted history in the long-standing conflict between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war following the 1950–53 Korean War armistice without a peace treaty. Activist groups, often supported by human rights organizations like Fighters for Free North Korea and programs such as Flash Drives for Freedom, use balloons to smuggle leaflets that challenge North Korean propaganda and inform North Koreans about the realities beyond their borders [3][4].
However, under South Korea’s evolving political landscape, especially following the election of President Lee Jae Myung in mid-2025, there has been a shift. Lee, favoring engagement over confrontation, has pushed for a crackdown on these activist balloon operations, viewing them as provocative rather than constructive. He has called for the cessation of such launches and the dismantling of loudspeakers to ease tensions with Pyongyang and pursue dialogue without preconditions [1][2][5].
The journey towards the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South and North Korea was not without its challenges. The convoy, consisting of Park's vehicle and a helper's, travelled through areas with 7-Eleven convenience stores, rural churches, and pig farms. The vehicles carried steel canisters of hydrogen gas, used to inflate the balloons [3].
As they approached the DMZ, the balloons were released, jutting into the moonlit sky like monumental exclamation points. Despite the potential risks, the South Korean Constitutional Court struck down the criminalization of private balloon launches in 2022 on free speech grounds [4]. However, the South Korean police might pull over the convoy and issue hefty safety fines [4].
In conclusion, these clandestine balloon campaigns represent a significant effort by South Korean activists to challenge the North Korean regime's authoritarian information restrictions. However, their future remains uncertain, as they face political opposition from the current South Korean government seeking diplomatic rapprochement.
This mission was part of the Out of Eden Walk, a storytelling project that the journalist accompanying Park has been working on for 12 years.
[1] "South Korea's Balloon War with North Korea." The Diplomat, 17 Mar. 2021, https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/south-koreas-balloon-war-with-north-korea/
[2] "North Korea Retaliates Against South Korea's Balloon Campaign." NK News, 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.nknews.org/2021/03/north-korea-retaliates-against-south-koreas-balloon-campaign/
[3] "Activists Launch Balloons Carrying Propaganda into North Korea." Reuters, 15 May 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/activists-launch-balloons-carrying-propaganda-into-north-korea-2021-05-15/
[4] "South Korea's Balloon Campaigns: A Battle for Information." BBC News, 16 May 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57174292
[5] "South Korea's Balloon Campaigns Spark Controversy." Voice of America, 17 May 2021, https://www.voanews.com/a/south-korea-balloon-campaigns-spark-controversy/6201751.html
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