South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha was grilled on CNN recently about South Korea’s new anti-leaflet law.

What is the anti-leaflet law, and why is this issue being elevated by the US press? Thread https://twitter.com/camanpour/status/1339605331299561473

In 2017, North and South Korea signed The Panmunjom Declaration — an agreement to end the Korean War and build towards reunification.

The Panmunjom Declaration called for an end to all forms of US-ROK aggression, including the distribution of propaganda leaflets.

US funded groups in South Korea have sent propaganda leaflets into the DPRK for many years. South Korea failed to stop the leaflets until this year, when the anti-leaflet law was passed. The distribution of leaflets was a factor that led to a breakdown in talks this spring.

The anti-leaflet law is being attacked in the US press on grounds of "freedom of speech." This distracts from the real issue at hand: the ongoing division and state of war in Korea perpetuated by US occupation and imperialism.

Attacks on the anti-leaflet law are just the latest in decades of US efforts to undermine Korean sovereignty.

The US has stood in the way of achieving the vision agreed to in Panmunjom by intensifying sanctions on the DPRK, and blocking construction of an interkorean railway.

Actual issues of free speech in South Korea like the National Security Law (NSL) barely receive attention in the US press.

The NSL bans "anti state" speech. It was the pretext for some of the worst massacres in Korean history. It has never been repealed. https://twitter.com/nodutdol/status/1333963739863937024

The US has masked imperialism in Asia under claims of defending “freedom” since the 19th century. The flip side of these claims to protecting liberal ideals has been mass violence and destruction: hot wars, white terror, and economic integration into the US war machine.

This appeal to “freedom of speech” can’t be separated from US interests. The occupation + militarization of Korea + the Pacific, sanctions on the DPRK, and sabotaging Korean-led reunification efforts all share a common goal of advancing imperialism deeper into Korea + Asia.