Six Americans Detained in South Korea for Attempting to Send Bibles to North Korea by Sea

Six Americans were detained Friday in South Korea for trying to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, miniature Bibles, $1 bills and USB sticks toward North Korea by sea, according to police reports. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding cross-border humanitarian and religious activities on the Korean Peninsula.

The Operation and Arrest

The Americans were apprehended on front-line Gwanghwa Island before throwing the bottles into the sea so they could float toward North Korean shores on the tides. The group was discovered by a military official patrolling the area in the early hours of Friday morning.

Authorities did not name the individuals in question, identifying them only as men "in their 20s to 50s" who had entered the country two to three months ago with American passports and did not speak fluent Korean. The men admitted to engaging in missionary work, according to South Korean media reports.

Legal Charges and Investigation

The Americans are being investigated on allegations they violated the law on the management of safety and disasters. The U.S. citizens are suspected of violating the country's disaster and safety law in an area that was recently designated a risk zone, meaning activities deemed harmful to residents are banned.

Yonhap said the police did not find the need to further detain the individuals and released them, indicating that while the incident was taken seriously, it was not considered a major security threat.

Historical Context of Cross-Border Activities

For years, activists have sought to float plastic bottles or fly balloons across the border carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets and USB thumb drives carrying South Korean dramas and K-pop songs, a practice that was banned from 2021-2023 over concerns it could inflame tensions with the North.

The use of propaganda balloons dates back to the Korean War and continued through the Cold War. Activists in North and South Korea extensively used these methods to disseminate psychological messages across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Missionaries often use plastic bottles in this manner as they float and easily travel across the sea via currents into rural, impoverished areas of the North.

Religious Context in North Korea

The attempted Bible delivery takes place against the backdrop of North Korea's restrictive religious environment. According to the 2020 World Christian Database, over half of the population in North Korea is agnostic, with around 15 percent atheist, and less than 1 percent Christian.

Political Implications and Recent Policy Changes

The detention comes during a period of shifting South Korean policy toward the North. Since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up in tensions with North Korea.

Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee's government halted front-line anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts to try to ease military tensions.

Previous Legal Framework

In 2023, South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a controversial law that criminalized the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. However, the government is now using safety and disaster management laws to restrict such activities.

Ganghwa Island, where the group attempted to float the bottles, has been restricted to the public since it was designated a danger zone in November 2024.

North Korea's Response to Past Campaigns

North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites including the presidential compound.

Last year, North Korea said it sent balloons full of trash and manure across the border, calling them "gifts of sincerity".

Recent Pattern of Detentions

On June 14, police detained an activist for allegedly flying balloons toward North Korea from Gwanghwa Island, showing that South Korean authorities are increasingly active in preventing such activities.

The incident represents the latest chapter in the long-standing practice of activists and missionaries attempting to reach North Korean citizens with humanitarian aid and religious materials, despite the diplomatic and legal complications such efforts create.