Overnight and into early Sunday, dozens of balloons carrying trash were discovered in Seoul and in areas near the border, marking the latest salvo in an escalating series of provocative exchanges between North and South Korea. According to Seoul’s military, North Korea has dispatched hundreds of these trash-filled balloons in a fresh blitz, intensifying the tit-for-tat balloon barrages between the two neighbouring nations.
A photograph, distributed via REUTERS, shows a balloon believed to be from North Korea carrying various objects, including what appeared to be trash, in a park in Incheon, South Korea. Since the blitz commenced late Saturday, an estimated 330 balloons carrying bags of trash have been sent by Pyongyang into South Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported on Sunday.
“So far, about 80 balloons have fallen in our area, and nothing is currently being identified in the air,” the JCS said in a statement. “Our analysis shows there were no substances that were harmful to safety,” it added, noting that the latest batch of balloons contained waste paper and plastic.
In response to the balloon launch, the Seoul city government, along with officials in the surrounding Gyeonggi province, issued text alerts to residents on Saturday, cautioning them about the balloons. “North Korea is making another low-class provocation with trash balloons against our civilian areas,” Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated in a Facebook post.
This recent balloon blitz follows weeks of similar actions. In early June, Pyongyang sent nearly a thousand balloons carrying cigarette butts and toilet paper across the border before pausing its campaign. The North resumed its balloon launches on Saturday, reacting to recent balloon dispatches from South Korean activists. These activists, operating independently, have sent dozens of balloons northward carrying K-pop materials, dollar bills, and anti-Kim Jong Un propaganda, which has deeply angered Pyongyang.
A South Korean group known as “Fighters for Free North Korea” claimed to have sent 10 balloons loaded with thumb drives containing K-pop music and 200,000 leaflets condemning Kim Jong Un’s regime earlier this week. Another group of North Korean defectors reported sending 10 balloons on Friday with 100 radios, 200,000 anti-Pyongyang leaflets, and thumb drives featuring a speech by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
In a significant response to the balloon launches, President Yoon suspended a 2018 military agreement designed to reduce tensions with the North. This suspension permits the South Korean military to resume live-fire drills and restart loudspeaker propaganda campaigns along the border, heightening the already tense situation.
Seoul’s National Security Council convened on Sunday to deliberate on the latest balloon incidents and to formulate a response to Pyongyang’s provocations. The council’s meeting underscores the gravity of the situation as both nations appear locked in a cycle of retaliatory actions.
As the cross-border balloon exchanges continue, the international community watches closely, concerned about the potential for further escalation. The situation remains fluid, with both North and South Korea demonstrating a readiness to engage in psychological warfare tactics, significantly raising the stakes on the Korean Peninsula.
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