International

North Korea sends fleet of balloons carrying excrement to South Korea

North Korea sent a fleet of balloons carrying excrement and trash into South Korea, according to multiple reports.

Balloons with trash presumably sent by North Korea, hang on electric wires as South Korean army soldiers stand guard in Muju, South Korea on May 29, 2024. In another sign of tensions between the war-divided rivals, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea also has been flying large numbers of balloons carrying trash toward the South since Tuesday night, in an apparent retaliation against South Korean activists for flying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border.

“As already warned by the [North Korean] vice minister of National Defence, a large amount of waste paper and rubbish are being scattered in the border and deep areas of the ROK from the night of May 28,” reads a statement from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, according to state-run news agency KCNA. “According to the [South Korean] media, waste paper and rubbish were found not only in the border area with [North Korea] but also in Seoul and other parts of [South Korea].”

“The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the [South Korean] puppet army said that [North Korea] is scattering a large number of balloons over [South Korea] from last night,” the statement continues. “It urged [North Korea] to stop such an act at once, claiming that it is a clear violation of international law, an act of seriously threatening the security of [South Korean] people and an unethical and lowbrow act.”

According to The Associated Press, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North has been sending balloons carrying trash in the direction of the South beginning Tuesday, responding to activists from South Korea sending anti-Northern leaflets over the border.

South Korea’s military also said that in multiple areas of the country, around 260 balloons had been discovered by Wednesday afternoon, according to the AP. According to the military, the balloons carried different types of trash and manure.