The ruling Minjoo Party on Monday railroaded through a law banning the dispatch of propaganda leaflets to North Korea.
The move baffled observers since there is now no urgency to attempts to appease North Korea, which has locked all its borders and rebuffed all South Korean overtures.
Now anyone who sends propaganda leaflets to North Korea attached to balloons or floats could serve up to three years in prison or pay fine of up to W30 million (US$1=W1,092).
Main opposition People Power Party lawmaker and North Korean defector Thae Yong-ho took part in a filibuster that lasted more than 10 hours and said, "The law consigns North Koreans to perpetual servitude." But the ruling party has an absolute majority and easily passed the law.
The North Korean regime has reacted sensitively to the leaflet campaigns in the past, which are normally conducted by defector groups with a view to educating North Koreans in the border regions about their regime and the world outside.
It has particularly incensed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong, who has become a hysterical attack dog on her brother's behalf, but it has not recently been a prominent issue.
Critics regard the move as another example of the government's slide into electoral dictatorship. Last week, the Minjoo Party railroaded through a revision of the police law that gives police more power in investigating incidents related to national security. It then bulldozed through a bill establishing a new compliant body that would be tasked with investigations of corruption in high office instead of the regular prosecution.
Minjoo lawmakers ignored warnings that the creation of the new body would render investigations of powerful officials toothless by undermining the independence of prosecutors.
On Sunday, the ruling party bulldozed through yet another law stripping the National Intelligence Service of the responsibility for investigating pro-North Korean activities.
The ruling party also used its majority to scotch the opposition filibuster. Minjoo initially promised to let the opposition at least voice its opinion, but reneged on its pledge just three days later when all 58 first-time opposition lawmakers announced their participation in the debate, saying it would hamper COVID-19 quarantine efforts.
The leaflets have been sent across the border in helium balloons for many years, sometimes with USB sticks and dollar bills attached. The organizers are usually fairly rightwing, which may make them more odious to the current progressive government than the leaflet campaign itself.
The opposition has pledged to launch a constitutional challenge against the new law, arguing it infringes freedom of speech.
