North Korea once more launches balloons toward South Korea.
North Korea persists with its aerial assaults against South Korea, with inflatables suspected to carry waste drifting across the border under the cover of darkness towards the Southeast. authorities urge anyone finding a fallen balloon to avoid contact and report the incident immediately.
This marks the sixth such assault by North Korea since late May. On Monday, over 350 balloons were launched into the air, with around 100 making landfall in South Korea. According to South Korean military intelligence reports, most of the balloons were filled with paper scraps. No hazardous materials have been identified. Past incidents have seen North Korea fill balloons with human waste, discarded cigarettes, used batteries, clothing remnants, and old newspapers. No significant damage has been reported.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff have hinted at retaliation through the use of loudspeakers, a tactic they tried in early June. President Yoon Suk Yeol described North Korea's balloon attacks as a "contemptible and unreasonable provocation," promising that South Korea would stay prepared with a resilient military response to counter North Korean aggressions.
North Korea shows great sensitivity towards South Korean loudspeaker broadcasts and leaflet campaigns led by activists who expose human rights violations in the communist regime, as well as distributing USB sticks loaded with South Korean TV shows and foreign news. An attempt by the South Korean government to legislate against such actions was overturned by the Constitutional Court. Experts believe North Korea's balloon campaign also seeks to aggravate the debate in South Korea over civilian leaflets and exacerbate internal divisions.
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- The South Korean authorities urge anyone finding a fallen balloon from the recent attacks by North Korea to avoid contact and report the incident to the direction of their local authorities, as these inflatables might contain waste or other unwanted materials.
- South Korea has faced six aerial assaults from North Korea using balloons since the beginning of May, with the latest incident involving the launch of over 350 balloons towards the South, with around six of them successfully reaching their territory.
- In response to North Korea's ongoing balloon campaign, South Korea has considered taking action against harmful propaganda broadcasts and leafleting efforts by activists from the South, although this proposal has faced resistance from the Constitutional Court.
- Analysts suggest that North Korea uses its balloon campaign as a means to put pressure on South Korea, particularly in response to South Korea's controversial loudspeaker broadcasts, civil society activities focused on human rights, and distribution of foreign media materials.
