Photo: Jeonbuk Fire Department/Associated Press Balloons loaded with garbage, likely sent by North Korea, hang from electrical wires as South Korean army soldiers stand guard in Muju, South Korea, Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
Kang Jin-kyu – Agence France-Presse in Seoul
Published at 11:30 a.m.
- Asia
North Korea sent balloons filled with trash, toilet paper and animal feces to the South, media reported Wednesday, in a non-flying operation high, according to the South Korean military.
Photos, widely shared by South Korean media, show white balloons carrying trash bags filled with trash and what appears to be feces.
This weekend end, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned that “mounds of waste and filth would soon be scattered across the border areas and inside” South Korea.
“Unidentified objects, believed to be North Korean propaganda leaflets, have been identified in the Gyeonggi-Gangwon border area and the military is implementing measures,” the state said -South Korean Joint Major (JCS).
“Citizens should refrain from outdoor activities. Do not come into contact with any unknown objects and report them to the nearest military base or the police,” he said in a statement sent to AFP.
The North's actions “clearly violate international laws and seriously threaten the security of our people,” according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which says some of the balloons contained apparent trash, which the military was verifying .
“We call on the North to immediately stop its […] low-level actions,” he added.
Late in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the province of Gyeonggi (northwest) sent an alert message calling on its residents to follow these same instructions.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of South Korea/Agence France-Presse North Korea dropped anti-South Korean propaganda materials in border areas overnight using balloons.
“Message”
Since the Korean War (1950-1953) ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty, North and South remain technically at war and are separated by a heavily fortified border including the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
South Korean activists sometimes release balloons carrying propaganda leaflets against North Korean power and money intended for people living north of the border.
These shipments have long aroused Pyongyang's ire, possibly because it fears that an influx of outside information into this tightly controlled society could pose a threat to those in power.
Pyongyang has sent propaganda balloons across the border before, notably in 2016, but this case is a little different, Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute told AFP.< /p>
“Bags filled with toilet paper, trash and Chinese batteries were found,” he said.
“Additionally, according to testimony, given the “distinctive odor” that emanated from the bag, it is likely that they also sent feces, probably animal feces,” he said. -he added.
“This is a message […] addressed to South Korea: like the South, North Korea can also send propaganda” , estimated Mr. Cheong.
On Monday, Pyongyang's launch of a spy satellite failed, but Seoul called the attempt a “provocation” and conducted maneuvers with fighter jets in the hours following the launch in protest.
Kim Jong-un called Seoul's response “reckless”, the North Korean news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday, saying that “the current situation requires further strengthening deterrence war by all means and to gradually develop the armed forces of (North Korea) into a super-powerful entity of absolute strength.”