South Korean authorities arrested six American nationals early Thursday, June 26, on suspicion of trying to send plastic bottles filled with rice, Bibles, and U.S. currency across the maritime border into North Korea. The arrests occurred near Ganghwa Island, a border area northwest of Seoul, according to local police reports.
The suspects, ranging in age from their 20s to 50s, were caught at 1:03 a.m. as they attempted to launch thousands of plastic bottles into the sea. “We have arrested and are questioning six American nationals on suspicion of violating the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety,” said the head of the investigation team at Ganghwa police station in Incheon during an interview with AFP. “Since the Americans do not speak Korean, an interpreter was provided, and questioning is underway.”
Ganghwa Island, situated less than 10 kilometers from North Korea’s maritime border, has long served as a launch point for non-profit organizations and anti-Pyongyang activists who send aid and propaganda materials to the North. These items often include rice, U.S. dollars, USB drives containing South Korean dramas and K-pop music, and religious texts like Bibles.
In November, the South Korean government designated Ganghwa and other border areas as danger zones, warning that such actions could be perceived by North Korea as provocative and destabilizing. This policy change came amid rising tensions, following a series of retaliatory actions between the two Koreas last year.
During that period, North Korea sent thousands of balloons filled with trash across the border, claiming retaliation for South Korean activists’ propaganda drops. Seoul responded by reactivating loudspeakers along the border to broadcast K-pop music and international news. North Korea countered by transmitting unsettling sounds that disturbed residents near the frontier.
South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, who took office this month, has pledged a more conciliatory approach toward North Korea. He ended the border broadcasts, a move that prompted Pyongyang to halt its own transmissions the very next day.
