Pyongyang seems to be continuing its tactic of throwing trash at South Korea.
Balloons from North Korea filled with trash crashed near South Korea’s presidential palace, the presidential guard reported today (24/7).
Debris carried by the balloons was spotted in the area around the government complex in Yongsan District, the security agency said in a statement. The objects in the balloons did not contain contaminants or other hazards.
It is unclear whether President Yoon Suk-yeol was in the government complex at the time.
Hundreds of balloons
Since May, North Korea sporadically sends hundreds of balloons containing various types of trash across the heavily fortified border with the South, prompting the South Korean military to resume loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at the North.
Paju resident Ko Seok-noh is worried about balloons flying over the border city, which is about an hour’s drive from Seoul.
“It’s inconvenient for us when the balloons come. It’s rubbish,” Ko told Reuters.
The balloons have also caused wider problems and last month briefly disrupted operations at Incheon, the world’s fifth-busiest international airport and a major transport hub.
North – South Korea: The Balloon ‘War’ – Air Debris and Messages from Activists
The North said it was retaliating against an ongoing propaganda campaign by North Korean defectors and activists in the South, who regularly send balloons containing anti-Pyongyang leaflets, along with food, medicine, cash and USB sticks featuring K-pop music videos and TV series.
North Korea sent out another batch of trash-filled balloons earlier today, the South Korean military confirmed.
“With winds now shifting to the west, the suspected debris balloons targeting the south are moving toward the northern part of Gyeonggi (province),” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JUS) said.
From 2022, the presidential office in South Korea will be located in Yongsan, a central district of Seoul, after President Yun broke with decades of tradition and moved there from the more secluded Blue House.
Sources: APE-MPE, Reuters