Balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets are released by a defector group near the inter-Korean border. (Photo: Yonhap News)
The National Assembly has passed a controversial bill barring the flying of anti-North Korea leaflets across the border.
The legislation passed in a 187-0 vote late Monday, a day after lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party staged a filibuster to block its passage.
Members of the conservative camp argued the ban would excessively limit the right to freedom of expression.
The ruling Democratic Party said it pushed to swiftly pass the amendment bill for the safety of border residents.
Violators of the revised Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act, dubbed the anti-leaflet law, could face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.
The revision to law comes six months after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to scrap a military pact with South Korea in anger over anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns carried out by defector and civic groups from the South.
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