South Korea Arrests Six Americans Sending Bibles, Rice to North Korea

South Korean police arrested six American nationals in their 20s to 50s for attempting to send over 1,000 plastic bottles filled with rice, Bibles, one-dollar bills, and USB sticks containing banned foreign media to North Korea. The group was intercepted near Ganghwa Island, a South Korean territory close to the North Korean maritime border, where such activities have been common among non-profit and anti-North Korean groups but were recently designated as a danger zone due to their provocative nature. The arrested Americans did not speak Korean and are being questioned under suspicion of violating the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety. The incident occurs amid a shift in South Korea's approach toward North Korea under newly inaugurated President Lee Jae-myung, who has vowed a more dovish policy and halted the loudspeaker broadcasts along the border, which North Korea reciprocated by stopping their own broadcasts. This crackdown on missionary activities marks a continuation of policies first tightened under previous administrations, reflecting ongoing tensions between humanitarian efforts and security concerns in the region. The arrests highlight the delicate balance South Korea maintains in its relations with North Korea and the United States amid regional propaganda conflicts and diplomatic shifts.