For the first time in twelve years, North Korea dropped thousands of leaflets on its neighbor, the South, across their shared border.

For the first time in twelve years, North Korea dropped thousands of leaflets on its neighbor, the South, across their shared border.

South Korean Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its soldiers 16,000 leaflets floated by the North across the heavily-fortified frontier over five days from July 21.
The leaflets contain criticism of President Lee Myung-bak's administration and of its alleged plot to destroy a statue of the North's late leader, the ministry said.

"North Korea used balloons to send the leaflets, which were found scattered in border areas," a ministry official told AFP news agency.

It is the first time North Korea has dropped such leaflets since promising not to slander Seoul at a landmark 2000 summit, the official added.

In 2004 the two sides agreed to switch off loudspeakers along the border, as part of a deal to halt all official-level cross-border propaganda.
Relations between the neighbors have sharply worsened since Lee scrapped an aid and engagement policy in 2008.