Fatshimetrie — South Korea spotted 350 “suspected” North Korean balloons carrying trash last Monday, reigniting a retaliatory exchange as tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to rise.
The Korean Defense Ministry reported that a suspicious balloon was observed flying in northern Gyeonggi province, bordering Seoul, around 9 p.m. local time.
About 100 of these balloons fell on South Korean territory, mainly in northern Gyeonggi province and the capital, Seoul, without any dangerous substances being detected so far.
The Seoul municipality then sent a push notification alerting residents that a North Korean balloon had entered the sky above the city, urging them not to touch fallen balloons and to report any incidents to authorities.
South Korea’s military has warned it may restart loudspeaker broadcasts at the border, a practice suspended in recent years. The resumption of these broadcasts will depend on the actions of North Korea.
Our military is ready to immediately resume anti-North Korea propaganda broadcasts and will act flexibly depending on the strategic and operational situation,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.
North Korea has sent more than 1,000 balloons to the South since May, in retaliation for South Korean activists flying leaflets critical of Kim Jong Un’s regime.
Last Thursday, a South Korean activist group flew 20 large balloons containing thousands of anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets and USB drives containing South Korean entertainment to North Korea. The next day, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister, warned of possible “problems ahead.”
“When you do something that you’ve been clearly warned not to do, it’s natural that you’ll run into problems that you could have avoided,” she said.
A South Korean analysis of North Korean balloons sent between late May and early June detected parasites in the balloons’ soil, “possibly originating from human feces,” the ministry said, noting the presence of “human genes” in floor.
The analysis revealed the presence of roundworms, trichinae and cruren larvae, as well as other waste such as used fabrics and papers, the ministry added, specifying that there was no risk of contamination or infectious disease from the analyzed soils.
The balloons also carried damaged clothing from a South Korean brand, showing “hostility toward South Korean products,” as well as clothing imitating Disney characters, according to the ministry.
These latest developments come as tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalate and inter-Korean diplomacy remains at a standstill. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a defense deal with North Korea last week, as talks on denuclearization efforts stalled and Kim vowed to expand his country’s nuclear arsenal and threatened to use it against the South.
Meanwhile, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea last weekend for trilateral exercises with South Korea and Japan in waters near the peninsula. It is the latest in a series of US military moves aimed at asserting Washington’s “unwavering” commitment to its South Korean ally.
U.S. and South Korean officials signed a new memorandum of understanding on diplomatic intelligence sharing and analysis on Monday, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
Japanese, South Korean and U.S. officials also participated in a trilateral call during which they issued a joint statement calling increased military cooperation between Russia and North Korea a “grave concern” for those seeking to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula.
“The United States, South Korea and Japan condemn in the strongest terms the growing military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including the continued arms transfers from the DPRK to Russia that prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people, violate several United Nations Security Council resolutions and threaten stability in both Northeast Asia and Europe,” the statement said.