Jun 30, 2025
South Korean officials have detained six American citizens for allegedly attempting to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with miniature Bibles into North Korea via the sea. Authorities on Gwanghwa Island stated that the group is under investigation for violating disaster management laws. Along with the Bibles, the bottles reportedly contained USB drives, money, and rice—intended as covert aid and evangelistic outreach to North Koreans. The exact contents of the USBs remain undisclosed.
For years, Christian missionaries and human rights groups have used sea bottles and air balloons to smuggle information, scripture, and cultural content into the isolated regime. These items range from Bibles and anti-regime literature to South Korean music and entertainment. While South Korea banned the practice from 2021 to 2023 due to fears of escalating tensions with the North, the Constitutional Court recently overturned the law, citing free speech concerns. Despite the ruling, President Lee Jae Myung has vowed to crack down on such missions, warning they could provoke hostile retaliation from North Korea.
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SOURCE: International Christian Concern