Eric Patrick
South Korean authorities have arrested six American nationals who attempted to send plastic bottles filled with rice, Bibles, and U.S. dollar bills into North Korea, police confirmed on Friday.
The incident occurred around 1:03 a.m. on Ganghwa Island, a border region northwest of Seoul and one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea. According to local police, the group was caught trying to launch thousands of the makeshift packages into the sea near the maritime boundary between the two countries.
“We have arrested and are questioning six American nationals in their 20s to 50s on suspicion of violating the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety,” the head of the investigation team at Ganghwa Police Station in Incheon told reporters.
As the detained individuals reportedly do not speak Korean, authorities have provided interpreters to assist in the ongoing investigation.
Ganghwa Island has long been used by activists and humanitarian groups as a launch point for sending symbolic and informational materials including food, religious texts, and USB drives containing K-pop and South Korean dramas—across the border into North Korea.
However, in November last year, the South Korean government designated the area a restricted zone, warning that such activities could be seen as provocative by Pyongyang.
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The arrests come amid a delicate period of inter-Korean relations.
Last year, tensions escalated in a propaganda war when North Korea launched thousands of trash-filled balloons into the South in retaliation for anti-regime leaflets sent by South Korean activists.
In response, Seoul resumed loudspeaker broadcasts along the border, blasting K-pop music and international news, prompting North Korea to transmit eerie, disorienting sounds across the frontier—a move that drew complaints from South Korean residents.
Since taking office earlier this month, South Korea’s new President Lee Jae Myung has promised a softer stance toward Pyongyang.
His administration recently suspended the loudspeaker broadcasts, a move that North Korea reciprocated by halting its own audio provocations the following day.