The military has decided to delay a plan to float propaganda leaflets across the military demarcation line as part of so-called psychological warfare.

A government official on Sunday said the plan was put off last week because of bad weather, but the fresh delay comes for "political reasons."

Chang Kwang-il of the Defense Ministry told reporters, "At the moment we're taking various situations into consideration. We'll launch the operation how and when we want after a comprehensive review of the situation."

On May 24, when it announced a list of sanctions against the North over the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan that included the resumption of psychological warfare, the ministry pledged to float the leaflets the moment the weather permits. But the ministry apparently changed its mind when South Korean businesses at the Kaesong Industrial Complex asked the government to refrain for the sake of their staff’s safety.

There is speculation that propaganda broadcasts across the demilitarized zone which were expected to resume in the second week of June will also be delayed since the North has threatened to fire at South Korean loudspeakers. But radio propaganda broadcasts that resumed on May 24 will continue.