Balloons Carry Pie to North Korea




(Seoul, South Korea) For the Lunar New Year, North Korean refugees living in South Korea sent balloons carrying pie and propaganda leaflets across the fortified border.

Most balloons dispatched across the frontier by activists carry propaganda leaflets calling for the overthrow of the North's regime.

But on Friday about 20 large balloons released from Gangwha island west of Seoul carried a total 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of Choco Pie – a South Korean-made snack which is hugely popular among those North Koreans who can acquire it.

"This is a token of our brotherly love for the people living in the North," said Song Si-Yon, a police clerk in the North before she came South in 2007.

"We hope this will help North Koreans celebrate Lunar New Year's Day in a happier mood."

The North Korean government does not approve.