North Korea sent hundreds of balloons filled with rubbish to the South, according to South Korean media.
A similar campaign occurred a few days earlier. South Korea’s military said Pyongyang called the act retaliation for activists scattering anti-North Korean leaflets.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that from Saturday evening to Sunday morning, about 600 balloons flying from North Korea found in various parts of South Korea. Balloons had cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste paper and vinyl, but no hazardous substances.
Seoul city officials sent out text alerts that unidentified objects believed to be from North Korea had been spotted in the skies near the city and that the military had responded. The military advised people to beware of falling objects and not to touch the objects.
The North’s balloon launches added to a recent series of provocative moves that include a failed spy satellite launch and a flurry of short-range missile launches that aimed to demonstrate its ability to preemptively attack the South.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry reported on Friday that North Korea must stop provocations, including missile launches and other actions, or it will face unspecified “unbearable” consequences.
South Korea’s military said it had no plans to shoot down the balloons, citing concerns about causing damage or the possibility that they could contain dangerous substances. Firing balloons near the border could also provoke a retaliatory strike from the North at a time of high tension.
There have been similar demonstrations by the North before. In 2020, North Korea blew up an empty communications office built by South Korea on its territory after a furious response to a campaign to distribute leaflets to South Korean civilians. In 2014, North Korea fired propaganda balloons flying towards its territory and South Korea returned fire, but there were no casualties.
