South Koreans Activists Send North Koreans Choco Pies Across the Border — With Balloons
The hallmark of a good friend is that they’ll always have your back, whether that means helping you move, hiding a dead body, or even sneaking illegal snack foods across military borders.
Previously offered as treats to North Korean factory workers, the South Korean chocolate and marshmallow sponge cakes known as Choco Pies were banned in North Korea back in May for being a “symbol of capitalism,” reports The Guardian. Now, in an act of sweet tooth solidarity, South Korean activists have launched approximately 10,000 Choco Pies to their North Korean brethren across the border Wednesday morning. And they did it using helium balloons.
According to CNN, Choco Pies have been sold on the North Korean black market for as much as $10 apiece. Factory owners have been told to replace employees’ snacks with other, less explicitly South Korean, rewards, such as cup noodles or instant coffee, a change that has been met with positive feedback. Still, activists insist they will continue their balloon launches, despite threats of bombings from North Korean capital Pyongyang.
“We will continue to send Choco Pie by balloons because it is still one of the most popular foodstuffs, especially among hungry North Koreans,” activist Choo Sun-Hee said, reports The Guardian.
Best. Supports. Ever. Just one question: how do they control where the balloons land?