North Korea resumed flying balloons on Saturday in a likely attempt to drop trash on South Korea, according to South Korea’s military. This action comes after Seoul activists floated their own balloons to scatter propaganda leaflets in the North, escalating tensions between the two Koreas.
North Korea had previously launched hundreds of balloons carrying manure and trash towards South Korea in protest of civilian leafletting campaigns. In response, South Korea suspended a tension-easing agreement with North Korea to restore front-line military activities.
Saturday’s balloon launches by North Korea marked the third such incident since May 28. The balloons, likely carrying trash, were observed moving in an eastward direction, with the potential to fly towards the south due to forecasted changes in wind direction.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff advised the public to be cautious of falling objects and not to touch any balloons found on the ground, urging them to report such findings to the authorities.
Following the previous balloon activities, South Korean authorities discovered approximately 1,000 balloons tied to vinyl bags containing various materials such as manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste batteries, and waste papers. While no highly dangerous materials were found, some balloons were popped and scattered in roads, residential areas, and schools, resulting in no major damage.
North Korea's vice defense minister stated that the country would halt the balloon campaign but threatened to resume it if South Korean activists continued sending leaflets. Despite the warning, South Korean civilian groups launched balloons carrying anti-North Korean leaflets, USB sticks with K-pop songs and South Korean dramas, and $1 U.S. bills.
South Korean officials condemned North Korea's actions as 'absurd' and 'irrational,' vowing strong retaliation. The suspension of the 2018 military agreement with North Korea would allow South Korea to restart live-fire military drills and anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts at border areas, potentially escalating tensions further.
North Korea's sensitivity to South Korean leafletting campaigns and propaganda broadcasts stems from its strict control over foreign news access for its population. Experts suggest that North Korea's balloon campaign aims to create a divide in South Korea over its government's approach towards North Korea.
While some in South Korea have called for an end to leafleting activities to avoid clashes with North Korea, government officials have refrained from making such appeals following a constitutional court ruling last year that upheld the right to free speech in anti-North Korea leafletting.
