Seoul: South Korea leveled sharp criticism against North Korea on Wednesday, accusing it of deploying a multitude of balloons across the heavily guarded border, laden with objects including waste and excrement. Describing the act as base and perilous, South Korean authorities swiftly mobilized military units to assess and retrieve the objects while issuing alerts to residents to remain vigilant and report any sightings.
Reports indicated that over 150 balloons had been detected by Wednesday, with some landing on the ground while others remained airborne, according to military sources cited by local media. Balloons, typically used by South Korean activists, have been a contentious issue between the two Koreas, often resulting in heightened tensions and even attempts by the North to shoot them down.
Photographs released by the South Korean military showcased inflated balloons adorned with plastic bags, alongside images depicting scattered trash around deflated balloons, with one bag labeled “excrement.” North Korea’s response to such balloon campaigns has been vehement, with warnings of retaliatory measures and threats of sending “mounds of waste-paper and filth” to the South.
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These balloon launches have been a source of irritation for North Korea, often carrying messages critical of Pyongyang, information about South Korea’s democratic society, and even USB memory sticks containing K-pop music videos. Despite previous attempts by South Korean authorities to curtail such activities, citing concerns for peace and border residents’ safety, a ban on balloon launches implemented in 2021 was overturned by the courts, citing freedom of speech.
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The ongoing tensions between the two Koreas underscore the delicate balance on the Korean Peninsula, with the prospect of military conflict ever-present. Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, noted that while sending balloons constitutes a provocative act, it falls within the realm of grey zone tactics, posing less risk of military escalation compared to overt military actions.
