A group of civic activists in South Korea flew winter socks by balloon into North Korea Saturday in a new campaign to assist poverty-stricken people there suffering from cold weather.

About 50 activists from the Korea Peninsula International Peace Organization sent 800 pairs of winter socks carried by big balloons from a tourist tower in Paju, a city just south of the inter-Korean border.

"We know the pain of our brothers in North Korea. Please be alive until the unification," said one of the campaign organizers.

Balloons are often used to send anti-North Korean leaflets across the border. It's the first time that winter socks have been floated into the North.

The winter season is particularly hash for North Koreans suffering from chronic shortages. North Koreans are currently in the midst of mourning the death of their leader, Kim Jong-il. (Yonhap News)