North korea escalates tensions with trash-filled balloons to south
North Korea is once again sending South Korea balloons filled with trash. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of the South Korean military reported on Saturday that the balloons are likely to fly toward the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, depending on changes in wind direction.
5:42 AM EDT, August 11, 2024
Gyeonggi is the most populated province in South Korea, and the country's capital, Seoul, is located within its area. According to the television station KBS World, this is the eleventh instance this year of sending trash-filled balloons from the North.
The JCS warned residents not to touch the landing balloons or their contents and to report their findings to the nearest police station or military unit.
The last time North Korea sent balloons with waste to South Korea was on July 24, some of which landed on the grounds of the presidential office in the Yongsan district of Seoul.
Since late May, the communist North has sent over 3,000 balloons with bags filled with trash to the South, further escalating tensions between the two nations.
Among the trash were destroyed clothing and soil containing traces of human feces and parasites. The Kim Jong Un regime claims that this is a response to South Korean organizations sending propaganda leaflets over its territory via balloons.