The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea stated that as of Wednesday morning, the military had detected some 260 balloons sent from the North since Tuesday night, which fell in various locations across the country, including border areas, Seoul and even the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Images made public by the JCS show two enormous balloons carrying plastic bags, and some damaged items scattering sheets of paper, plastic bits and what looks to be ‘dirt’ onto pavements and roads.
No damage has been detected as of yet, but according to a JCS officer, the fell balloons appeared to have carried a variety of garbage, including plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts, and even manure, as per Yonhap.
According to the JCS, government agencies are currently analysing the balloons that so far include “filth and garbage,” and the military is collaborating with the United Nations Command.
“North Korea’s actions clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our citizens,” the JCS said, adding “All responsibility arising from the North Korean balloons lies entirely with North Korea, and we sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and low-level actions,” according to CNN.
In addition, people in the northern provinces of Gyeonggi and Gangwon received warnings from their local governments cautioning them about “unidentified objects” and advising them not to go outside. The JCS stated that there is a chance that the packages will harm houses, airports, and roadways.
Retaliation against South Korean activists who frequently send goods to the North–propaganda leaflets, food, medicine, radios, and USB sticks with South Korean news and television dramas, which are forbidden in the isolated totalitarian regime–was seen as the possible reason behind the action, CNN reported citing North Korean state media KCNA.
Campaigners in the South, including defectors from North Korea, have long transmitted these documents by balloons, drones, and bottles floating down the cross-border river — even after South Korea’s government banned such operations in 2020.
“Scattering leaflets by use of balloons is a dangerous provocation that can be utilized for a specific military purpose,” said Kim Kang Il, North Korea’s Vice Minister of National Defense, CNN reported citing KCNA recently. (ANI)