SEOUL, December 10. /TASS/. Dozens of South Korean citizens living in regions bordering North Korea plan court action seeking to ban the launch of balloons carrying propaganda leaflets towards North Korea, lawyers said on Wednesday.

They want to stop provoking North Korean border troops into firing at message-laden baloons condemning the regime in the north's capital, Pyongyang - a practice putting their lives in danger, they complain.

Proceedings filed with a Seoul central court demand a penalty of around $1,800 for each attempt to send messages skyward.

In October, cross-border gunfire broke out when northern troops used automatic weapons to bring down the offenders aloft.

Several shells reached a settlement in the south, locals say.