North Korea has dropped at least 260 balloons carrying trash in South Korea. According to a report published in the BBC, this has prompted the authorities to warn its natives to stay indoors. Not only the authorities, South Korea’s military also cautioned the public against touching the white balloons and the plastic bags attached to them. It is because they comprise “filthy waste and trash”. These balloons have been located in eight of nine provinces in South Korea and are now being examined. This incident comes days after North Korea said it would retaliate against the “frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish” in border areas by activists in the South.
North Korea’s vice-minister of defence Kim Kang Il also issued a statement regarding this situation to state media on May 26. According to the vice-minister of defence ,mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK. The politician said that the South Korean residents will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them. In an earlier statement, the South Korea’s military had said that they were investigating whether there were any North Korean propaganda leaflets in the balloons. Republic of Korea or ROK is the official name of South Korea. The North is called DPRK or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
On May 28, residents living north of the South’s capital Seoul and in the border region received text messages from their provincial authorities asking them to “refrain from outdoor activities”. The residents were also asked to file a report at the nearest military base or police station if they spot an “unidentified object”. Pictures shared on social media show bags attached via string to white translucent balloons. These balloons comprise toilet paper, dark soil, and batteries, among other contents.
This is not the first time North Korea has indulged in such a tactic in its fight against the South. Both countries have used balloons in their propaganda campaigns since the Korean War in the 1950s. The Korean war commenced on June 25, 1950, after five years of prevailing tensions in the Korean peninsula. In this war, the Northern Korean People’s Army invaded South Korea in a coordinated general attack at several strategic points.
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