North Korea has sent approximately 500 balloons filled with trash into South Korean airspace over the past day, South Korean officials reported on Thursday.
These balloons have caused significant disruptions, including flight delays and a fire on the roof of a residential building.
This act is part of North Korea’s ongoing propaganda campaign against defectors and activists in the South, who frequently send balloons carrying items such as anti-Pyongyang leaflets, medicine, money, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop videos and dramas into the North.
On Wednesday evening, a suspected balloon caused a suspension of take-offs and landings at Seoul’s Gimpo Airport for two hours, according to an official at the Korea Airports Corporation.
Similar incidents have affected traffic at South Korea’s main international airport, Incheon, multiple times in recent weeks.
In Gyeonggi province, near Seoul, a balloon ignited a fire on top of a residential building. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, an official from the Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters stated.
South Korea’s military noted that some of the trash balloons were equipped with timed poppers that could start fires.
“A timer is attached to the trash balloons, which has the effect of popping the balloons and spreading the trash after a certain period of time has passed,” explained Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a briefing.
As of Thursday, 480 balloons, mostly carrying paper and plastic trash, had landed in South Korea, Lee reported.
On Wednesday, some North Korean balloons landed near the heavily guarded presidential office in Seoul.
Source-Reuters
