Seoul revokes permits for N Korean defector groups

South Korea yesterday revoked the operation permits of two defector groups for sending anti-North Korea leaflets across the border, officials said, after Pyongyang furiously denounced their activities and blew up a liaison office.

The move is likely to trigger debate over potential infringements on freedom of expression in the democratic South. 

The leaflets -- usually attached to hot air balloons or floated in bottles -- criticise North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over human rights abuses and his nuclear ambitions.

But by sending them, the two groups "severely hindered" the government's "efforts for unification", Seoul's unification ministry said in a statement.