SEOUL: North Korea has sent around 600 balloons carrying trash to South Korea, Seoul’s military said Sunday, despite a warning that the South would take “unendurably” painful measures against such provocative acts.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it has detected around 600 balloons that floated across the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas and fell in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province since 8 pm Saturday, according to Yonhap news agency.
The balloons carried various pieces of trash, such as cigarette butts, paper and plastic bags, just like the previous balloons, according to the JCS.
North Korea previously sent around 260 balloons carrying trash and excrement to the South on Tuesday and Wednesday after it warned of a “tit-for-tat action” against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by the South’s activists.
The JCS advised people not to touch the objects and report them to nearby military or police authorities. It also warned of possible danger from the balloons.
The military dispatched teams to recover the debris instead of shooting down the balloons, as the possibility of them carrying toxic chemicals cannot be completely ruled out.
The Seoul city government also said Sunday that it will operate an emergency center 24 hours a day to respond to such objects.
The North’s balloon launches come after a recent series of provocative steps, including the botched attempt to launch a spy satellite Monday. The country staged GPS jamming attacks in waters near South Korea’s northwestern border islands for the fourth straight day Saturday, Yonhap reported. – Bernama, Yonhap
