South Korea accused North Korea this Wednesday, May 29, of sending more than a hundred balloons filled with rubbish, including traces of excrement, into its territory. The two neighboring countries regularly engage in these air incursions.
Large white balloons that don’t just contain air. This Wednesday, May 29, the South Korean authorities warned the inhabitants of the border with North Korea that a “air raid” was underway, thus ordering the inhabitants of “refrain from all outdoor activities”reports the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh. An astonishing foray: no question here of missiles or shots, but rather balloons floating in the air, connected to poubelle bags, and carrying many waste, including toilet paper and animal excrement. Photos of these aerial threats were widely shared by South Korean media on social media. According to the BBCat least 260 of these balls were found in eight of the nine provinces of South Korea and are being analyzed.
Photos of the balloons appear to show basic wiring attached. While it’s not clear what it represents, from experiencing a balloon launch in South Korea (towards North Korea), activists attached timers to burst their content at different times to create even distribution. pic.twitter.com/LGH8FeVuvQ
— Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) May 29, 2024
“Unidentified objects, believed to be North Korean propaganda leaflets, have been identified in the Gyeonggi-Gangwon border area,” announced the South Korean joint staff (JCS). The crashed balloons were believed to have carried various trash, including plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and what is believed to be manure, he also reported. Northern actions “Clearly violate international laws and seriously threaten the security of our people.” “We call on the north to immediately stop its actions (…) low -level”, completed the joint staff.
Provocations by interposed balloons
Hints of this incursion were put forward a few days ago by the North Korean leader. This Sunday, Kim Jong-Un had warned that “Mountains of waste and filth would soon be scattered in the border areas and inside” from South Korea. Its objective: to retaliate to the “Frequent dispersion of leaflets and other waste” In border areas by South Korea political activists. These shipments have long aroused the ire of Pyongyang, possibly because it fears that an influx of external information into this tightly controlled society could pose a threat to those in power.
At the beginning of May, North Korea reacted angrily to South Korean activists’ balloons, which also carried information about the South’s democratic society and even USB sticks containing K-pop music videos. Previous South Korean governments have sought to prevent activists from carrying out such campaigns, arguing that they do not help advance peace and endanger the safety of residents near the border.
In the past, Pyongyang has already sent propaganda balloons across the border, notably in 2016. North Korea had shipped what the authorities feared were biochemical substances, but which turned out to be cigarette butts cigarettes and used toilet paper. Peter Ward, researcher at the Sejong Institute interviewed by Reutersdespite everything, that the sending of balloons is much less risky than an open military action. “This type of gray zone tactic is more difficult to counter and has less risk of uncontrollable military climbing, even if it is horrible for civilians who are ultimately targeted”, he added.