Mc Richard Paglicawan
In an act of sweet tooth solidarity, anti-Pyongyang activists have launched 50 helium balloons carrying 350kg (770lbs) of snacks, including 10,000 Choco Pies to their North Korean brethren from a park in the border city of Paju on morning of July 30, Wednesday.
Choco Pies are produced in South Korea, and are delicious chocolatey cookie snacks with a marshmallow center. And since its introduction, it has become very popular to North Koreans, to the degree that there is a sort of Choco Pie black market. As Choco Pie prices increased, they were being used by North Koreans more and more as an actual currency. The North Korean government felt this was a threat of sorts, and ordered factory owners to stop adding the pies to employee wages.
Still, activists insist they will continue their balloon launches, despite threats of bombings from North Korean capital Pyongyang. An activist told the AFP, “We will continue to send Choco Pie by balloons because it is still one of the most popular foodstuffs especially among hungry North Koreans.” These activists also often launch balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang fliers.
