North Korea has declared its halt to the sending of balloons filled with trash across the border into South Korea. This decision follows criticism from Seoul, which labeled the act as “irrational” and “low-class.”
The balloons, which contained various forms of waste, were seen as a response to anti-regime propaganda sent by activists from the South. Despite not violating U.N. sanctions, South Korea condemned the action, warning of strong countermeasures.
The North’s announcement to cease the campaign came late Sunday after it claimed to have scattered 15 tons of waste paper using thousands of devices. In a statement, North Korea expressed satisfaction in showcasing the inconvenience of collecting scattered waste paper to the South.
However, it also issued a warning that it would resume the campaign if anti-North leaflet distribution from the South were to resume.
Activists from both sides have engaged in similar balloon activities, with South Korean balloons often carrying leaflets, cash, rice, or USB drives loaded with K-dramas. Pyongyang described its actions as retaliation for the propaganda-laden balloons sent into its territory.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the latest batch of balloons landed in northern provinces, including Seoul, raising concerns about public safety.
The escalation in balloon activity prompted South Korea’s National Security Council to convene, contemplating potential responses. One option discussed was the resumption of loudspeaker propaganda campaigns along the border, which has sparked tensions in the past. Such actions could lead to further conflict along border areas, according to experts.
READ MORE: “North Korea Sends More 600 Trash-Filled Balloons Into South Korea”
This recent incident highlights the ongoing tensions between the two Koreas despite past agreements to cease hostile acts. In 2020, South Korea passed a law criminalizing the sending of leaflets into the North, although it was later struck down as a violation of free speech.
Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, dismissed South Korea’s complaints, framing the balloon campaign as an exercise of freedom of expression.
The trash balloon campaign comes amid concerns about North Korea’s weapons testing activities. Analysts have suggested that Kim Jong Un might be testing weapons before sending them to Russia for potential use in Ukraine.
South Korea’s defense minister revealed that Pyongyang has reportedly shipped about 10,000 containers of arms to Moscow, raising further alarms in the region.
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