[HanCinema's News] "Exhuma" Confirmed Among the Contents Sent by Balloon to North Korea

This past June 7th at 11:30 AM, the North Korean defector organization Geunsaem sent a large parcel of objects overseas to North Korea. In a press release accompanying the action, a representative for Geunsaem confirmed the basic form of the parcels. Five hundred large plastic bottles each contain one kilogram of rice, a dollar bill, and a USB drive. On the USB drive, South Korean dramas, foreign news broadcasts about Korea and apparently the recent film "Exhuma" were all included.

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Geunsaem typically sends two similar such parcels every month to North Korea, and has done so ever since 2015. The organization has received greater attention lately, however, as North Korea recently responded to the actions of Geunsaem and other organizations like them by ballooning garbage over to the South Korean side of the border from May 28th to June 2nd as retaliation. The Fighters for a Free North Korea sends similar parcels over to North Korea by balloon.

The media contents of such parcels are included in the belief that exposure to alternate media will change the outlook of people living under North Korean rule. In general such groups tend to avoid namedropping specific television shows and films as technically they are engaging in illegal file distribution by copying programs in such a way. No explanation was given as to why "Exhuma" specifically was used in the Geunsaem parcel- the horror film has no obvious political themes relevant to the situation.

North Korea has long protested the sending of such parcels mainly because much of it simply turns into unusable refuse that is quite difficult to clean up as it often lands in isolated areas. North Korea won't be able to send any more retaliatory balloons in the near futures the wind near the border started blowing north on June 9th. "Exhuma" premiered in South Korean theaters on February 22nd earlier this year and was a major hit at the domestic box office, as well as having decent worldwide success.

Written by William Schwartz