Appeasing the North

e been possible if West Germany had passed a law like South Korea's latest regulation banning the dispatch of propaganda leaflets to North Korea. The ruling party earlier this week railroaded through the shameful law that not only bans the dispatch of propaganda leaflets to the North but effectively blocks any form of outside information from being sent to the reclusive state. Even USB memory sticks are banned. The international community has condemned the law, saying it violates freedom of expression, while many foreign countries now view the South Korean government as increasingly oppressive.

Opposition People Power Party lawmaker Thae Yong-ho, who is a high-profile North Korean defector, said the law "consigns North Koreans to perpetual servitude" and is the first case of "the South and North joining hands to block the eyes, ears and five senses of the North Korean people."…If West Germany had made such a law for fear of agitating East Germany, young people from both sides could not have sung Bowie's songs aloud in unison as they yearned for reunification.