North Korea’s trash balloons land in South Korea’s presidential compound
In a bizarre turn of events, balloons carrying rubbish from North Korea have landed in South Korea’s presidential compound in Seoul, officials have confirmed. This marks the first time that the South Korean leader’s office, a designated no-fly zone, has been hit by balloons launched by Pyongyang.
A chemical, biological, and radiological warfare response team was dispatched to collect the balloons, but fortunately, they were found to pose no contamination or safety risk. The military refrained from shooting down the balloons out of fear that their contents would spread further.
The balloons also landed in other parts of Seoul, prompting officials to warn residents against touching them and to report any sightings to the nearest military unit or police station. With wind blowing from the west, balloons aimed at the South were likely to land in the northern Gyeonggi province, where the capital city is located.
This incident comes on the heels of escalating launches by North Korea, prompting South Korea’s military to restart propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers along the border. Both North and South Korea have a history of using balloons in their propaganda campaigns since the Korean War in the 1950s.
The launches have intensified this year, with thousands of balloons being sent by the North across the border since May. Wednesday’s balloons marked the North’s tenth launch this year, which it claims is retaliation for balloons sent by South Korean activists containing anti-Pyongyang leaflets, food, medicine, money, and even USB sticks loaded with K-pop videos and dramas.
The trash balloons incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing tensions between the two Koreas and the unconventional methods they employ in their propaganda warfare.
