Air raid warning: Citizens of Pyongyang, leave quickly
A two-sided Korean leaflet in red ink. The front is headed 'Air raid warning' over a starburst saying it is not too late to leave military sites. The reverse addresses the citizens of Pyongyang: military targets there must be destroyed to end the invasion begun by Communist leaders, will be bombed within 48 hours, and the United Nations hopes to spare civilians, so they should leave at once. The tell: a fear appeal with a deadline, framed as a warning for the readers' own protection.
- Date
- 1951
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- United Nations Command (U.S. Far East Command psychological warfare)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Leaflet
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Truman Administration
- Leader
- Harry S. Truman
- Audience
- Enemy civilians
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Event
- Korean War
- Techniques
- Fear appeal
- Source
- Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons, retrieved October 2, 2026
- Rights
- Openly licensed (CC BY 4.0; Korea Copyright Commission, Gongu Madang, per Wikimedia Commons)
Korea Copyright Commission (Gongu Madang, gongu.copyright.or.kr); co-author U&People Co., Ltd.; contributor Busan Modern History Research Institute (Kim Han-geun); via Wikimedia Commons (File:BK한국전쟁삐라 016 1020 앞.jpg), CC BY 4.0.
Text on the object
공습예고 지금도 늦지 않습니다. 한시 바삐 군사시설 근처에서 몸을 피하십시오. 한시가 급합니다. [reverse] 平壤시민 여러분! 平壤에는 아직도 중요한 군사목표가 있습니다. 이러한 군사목표를 파괴해야만 합니다. 이것이 공산지도자들이 시작한 침략전을 끝내기 위한 길입니다. 이러한 군사목표는 四十八시간 이내에 폭격을 당하게 될것입니다 여러분에게 즉시로 平壤을 떠나가시도록 경고하는 바입니다. 국제연합은 무고한 시민들에게 해를 끼치지 않기를 바라고 있읍니다. 여러분이 지금계신 곳에 그냥머물러계시는 여러분의 생명을 무익한 위험속에 끌어 넣으시게 됩니다. 재빨이 떠나십시오! 1020
Air raid warning It is still not too late. Take cover at once, away from military installations. Time is pressing. [reverse] Citizens of Pyongyang! There are still important military targets in Pyongyang. These military targets must be destroyed. This is the way to end the war of aggression begun by the Communist leaders. These military targets will be bombed within 48 hours. We warn you to leave Pyongyang immediately. The United Nations hopes not to harm innocent citizens. If you simply stay where you are now, you will be putting your lives into needless danger. Leave quickly!
Read from 1280 px scans of both sides. The reverse is set in columns read right to left; the original prints '군 사목표' with a line-break space and '그냥머물러계시는' without spaces, kept normalised here. The front is handwritten and slightly irregular ('바삐' and '군사시설' are read through run-together strokes). '平壤' is read as 平壤 (Pyongyang); '四十八' as 48. The final '1020' is the printed leaflet number.
