Authorities in the South’s two border provinces were prompted to issue a warning to its residents to remain indoors after 90 balloons carrying propaganda leaflets and trash were dropped by North Korea.
The North Korean government also issued a warning to the general public on Wednesday against touching the white kites and the cheap bags that come with them because they contain “filthy misuse and trash.”
Appropriate regulators are currently conducting an analysis of the balloons discovered in the provinces of Gyeonggi and Gangwon.
Since the Korean War in the 1950s, both North and South Korea have used kites in their advertising campaigns.
The most recent incident comes days after North Korea declared it would fight against protesters in the South’s border areas ‘ “frequent sprinkling of flyers and other rubbish.”
In a speech to the state media on Sunday, North Korea’s vice-minister of defense Kim Kang Il said,” Hills of wastepaper and trash will soon be scattered over the border regions and the inside of the ROK and how much work will be required to remove them.”
South Korea’s formal name is the Republic of Korea, or ROK, while North Korea is known as DPRK or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
People in the north of Seoul, the capital of the South, and the border area on Tuesday received text messages from their provincial officials urging them to “refrain from outside activities.”
If they discover an “unidentified object,” they were also requested to report it to the nearest military center or police place.
Photos shared on social media show luggage attached via wire to white translucent balloons carrying toilet paper, black earth, and batteries, among various contents.
Some of these photos feature police and military personnel.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap media company,” some of the fallen bubbles carried what appears to be faeces, judging by its dark color and odour.”
The government of South Korea described the incident as a” apparent violation of international law.”
It “profoundly threatens the health of our persons.” The government firmly advises North Korea to halt this cruel and crude action and holds North Korea liable for all the consequences, according to the military.
In addition to anti- North advertising, activists in South Korea have launched balloons carrying among other things, money, banned media articles, and also Choco Pies- a North Korean snack banned in the North.
A South Korean-based advocate group earlier this month claimed to have sent 20 balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang flyers and USB pieces containing Korean pop music and music video across the border.
In December 2020, the Seoul’s parliament passed a law criminalizing the release of anti-Pyongyang flyers, but worries have been raised about freedom of speech and individual rights.
North Korea has also launched kites southward in an effort to attack Seoul’s officials. In one such start 2016, the bubbles apparently carried toilet paper, cigar bottoms and rubbish. They were referred to as “hazardous chemical substances” by Seoul officers.
Jake Kwon provided extra monitoring in Seoul.