Six Americans Arrested for Attempting to Deliver Rice and Bibles to North Korea by Sea, Authorities Report

Six Americans were detained on Friday in South Korea for attempting to send 1,600 plastic bottles towards North Korea. The bottles contained rice, miniature Bibles, $1 bills, and USB sticks. The group was apprehended on Gwanghwa Island just before they planned to release the bottles into the sea, where they would be carried to North Korean shores.

Local police indicated that the Americans are being investigated for potentially violating safety and disaster management laws. However, they did not disclose the individuals’ identities, adhering to privacy regulations. The content on the USB sticks has not been determined.

For many years, activists have engaged in similar efforts to send messages into North Korea, using balloons or plastic bottles to deliver anti-regime propaganda, South Korean dramas, and K-pop music. This practice had been banned from 2021 to 2023 due to concerns about escalating tensions with the North. North Korea has previously responded to such campaigns with strong rhetoric and hostile actions, including launching its own balloons filled with rubbish into South Korea.

In a landmark decision in 2023, South Korea’s Constitutional Court overturned a law that criminalized sending leaflets and other materials to North Korea, labeling it an undue restriction on free speech. However, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in early June, is now focusing on limiting these civilian campaigns to prevent conflict and protect frontline residents. Lee’s administration has made attempts to resume stalled talks with North Korea, which have been dormant since 2019.

In a bid to reduce military tensions, his government has even halted anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts, though it remains uncertain how North Korea will respond to these conciliatory measures.