Trash-filled balloons launched by North Korea landed on the grounds of the South Korean presidential office, as reported by Yonhap news agency. However, no damage has been reported by other South Korean media outlets.
The South Korean military said that more balloons likely carrying trash were flown by North Korea towards South Korea on Wednesday, crossing the border and flying north of Seoul.
The launch of balloons by North Korea on Wednesday marks the 10th such incident since late May, with over 2,000 large balloons dropping various items such as wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts, and even manure on South Korean territory.
Meanwhile, North Korea claims these actions are in response to South Korean activists sending political leaflets across the border using their own balloons. Experts believe that North Korea perceives South Korean civilian leafleting activities as a significant threat to its efforts to prevent the influx of foreign information and maintain its authoritarian rule.
South Korea In response to the ongoing balloon launches by North Korea announced on Sunday that it would intensify its anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers at all major sites along the land border. These broadcasts, which were restarted last Thursday after a 40-day hiatus, include K-pop songs, news on South Korean economic development, and information about the recent defection of a senior North Korean diplomat. The broadcasts also reportedly describe the mine-planting work by North Korean soldiers at the border as “hellish, slave-like lives.”
Additionally, South Korea’s military has warned of unspecified stronger measures if North Korea continues its balloon campaigns.
In response, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, threatened new countermeasures against South Korean civilian leafleting, warning that South Korean “scum” must be prepared to pay “a gruesome and dear price” for their actions.
The South Korean military said that more balloons likely carrying trash were flown by North Korea towards South Korea on Wednesday, crossing the border and flying north of Seoul.
The launch of balloons by North Korea on Wednesday marks the 10th such incident since late May, with over 2,000 large balloons dropping various items such as wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts, and even manure on South Korean territory.
Meanwhile, North Korea claims these actions are in response to South Korean activists sending political leaflets across the border using their own balloons. Experts believe that North Korea perceives South Korean civilian leafleting activities as a significant threat to its efforts to prevent the influx of foreign information and maintain its authoritarian rule.
South Korea In response to the ongoing balloon launches by North Korea announced on Sunday that it would intensify its anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers at all major sites along the land border. These broadcasts, which were restarted last Thursday after a 40-day hiatus, include K-pop songs, news on South Korean economic development, and information about the recent defection of a senior North Korean diplomat. The broadcasts also reportedly describe the mine-planting work by North Korean soldiers at the border as “hellish, slave-like lives.”
Additionally, South Korea’s military has warned of unspecified stronger measures if North Korea continues its balloon campaigns.
In response, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, threatened new countermeasures against South Korean civilian leafleting, warning that South Korean “scum” must be prepared to pay “a gruesome and dear price” for their actions.
