"The government plans to request [that the group] make a wise decision in order to prevent physical or property risks among local residents at the border area," Yonhap quoted South Korean Unification Ministry spokesperson Lim Byeong-chul as saying.
South Korea's Fighters for a Free North Korea group announced plans to launch balloons with DVDs of the film in January to express disagreement with the communist North Korea's policies. After announcing the plan to send the DVDs, Park Sang-hak, the leader of the activist group, said the effort may be canceled if the Ministry of Unification issues an official request.
The spokesperson that the ministry was not currently planning to issue such a request, stressing that the group was acting within the bounds of freedom of expression. He also said that Seoul would interfere if the campaign threatened the safety of those residing in the border area.
In October 2014, a similar incident involving anti-Pyongyang leaflets tied to balloons sent from South Korea disrupted talks between the countries and sparked an exchange of gunfire on the border. North and South Korea are still formally at war, as no peace treaty was signed after the Korean War of 1950-1953.
"The Interview" is a Sony Picures Entertainment comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un. The film has been denounced by North Korea for undermining "the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK."
In addition, Sony Pictures was attacked by hackers, who stole terabytes of corporate data, demanding that the release of "The Interview" be canceled. The United States blamed North Korea for the hack.
