Balloons containing anti-North Korean leaflets sent across the border have become a contentious issue not only in inter-Korean relations but also among South Koreans.

Members of a conservative group that gathered at Imjingak near the Demilitarized Zone on Saturday to send balloons containing anti-North Korean regime leaflets ― an event well publicized in advance ― were met by Paju residents and civic groups trying to block the attempt. Scuffles ensued despite the heavy presence of police there to prevent such violence from taking place. In the end, the conservative group sent balloons containing some 20,000 leaflets across the border from Gimpo in the middle of the night.

On Sunday, North Korean authorities sent a message to the South criticizing the government here for allowing the balloons to be sent at night and hinted that the second round of high-level talks proposed by Seoul to take place on Oct. 30 may be in jeopardy.

The anti-North Korean pamphlets have been a thorny issue for years now. North Korea specifically raised the topic during the last high-level talks in January. On Oct. 10, an exchange of gunfire between the South and the North erupted after the North Korean side fired shots at balloons being released from Yeoncheon, near the border.

For the residents of Yeoncheon and Paju, the anti-Pyongyang balloons are a real threat to their safety and livelihood. While the shooting incident at Yeoncheon was highly controlled and contained, there is always a risk that things can escalate under highly tense conditions. Such a fear was what compelled Paju residents to bring their tractors to Imjingak to stop the conservative civic group from floating balloons across the border.

Also affected by the balloons are South Korean businesses that run factories at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North Korean border town. They are anxious for a thaw in the inter-Korean relations so that their businesses may return to normal. Representatives of the group met with Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae on Monday afternoon, asking the government to take a more active stance on the balloon dispatches.

Given the risks to safety and businesses’ concerns about the future of their inter-Korean ventures, it is time that the group responsible for releasing the balloons reviewed the usefulness of their efforts.

Other activist groups that work on North Korean issues point out that the problem here is the public nature of the balloon dispatch. Indeed, not publicizing the time and location of the balloon dispatch would reduce the safety risks for the local residents and may also be more effective as the North Korean authorities will be less able to intervene.

It may also be that North Koreans who have endured decades of repressive rule, human rights abuses and corruption at the very top tier of society while the masses starve, are already aware of what is happening in their country. If this is so, it prompts the question: “Are these balloons still necessary and effective?”

The government has expressed confidence that the balloons will not stand in the way of the next round of high-level talks. The Park administration has repeatedly said that freedom of expression must be upheld in a free democracy in responding to North Korean demands for a stop to the balloons. Yet, internally, it is reported to have reviewed the use of current laws ― including those concerning aviation and foreign currency (the balloons have contained dollar bills on previous occasions) ― to block the balloon dispatches.

North Korean activist groups should reconsider their priorities in sending the controversial balloons. What is more important, gaining publicity for their efforts, or minimizing the risks to local residents and making their dispatches more likely to reach their target audience by sending them away from the limelight? They should also take into consideration the position of the government, which is being pressured by the North on the matter.