SEOUL: North Korea has escalated tensions by releasing around 2,500 trash-laden balloons into South Korea on seven occasions from May 28 to June 27, causing significant damage, including vehicle damage. According to legal expert Kim Tae-Hoon these large balloons, filled with garbage such as cigarette butts, waste paper, plastic, and manure, were sent south in retaliation for North Korean human rights organizations sending leaflets into the North. Additionally, North Korea conducted GPS jamming attacks near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea for five consecutive days from May 29 to June 2.
Kim Yo-jong, on May 29, warned that South Korea would have to “keep picking up (the trash balloons)” and threatened to respond with “dozens of times the amount of waste the South Koreans send us.” These actions highlight the North Korean regime’s low-grade and petty response, drawing international ridicule and isolation.
The United Nations Command stated on May 30 via Facebook that sending a large number of balloons carrying waste that could harm citizens constitutes a violation of the armistice agreement. An official investigation into the matter is underway. The defence ministers of South Korea and the United States reaffirmed at the 21st Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue) in Singapore on June 2 that North Korea’s release of trash balloons breaches the armistice agreement.
The leaflets sent by North Korean human rights organizations contain daily necessities, medicines, US dollars, and other goods genuinely helpful to the North Korean people, making North Korea’s response even more irrational. Kim Jong-un perceives these efforts to introduce information into North Korea as a serious threat to his regime. These efforts align with the UN COI’s recommendations, which highlight the international community’s mandate to provide information to the North Korean people.
Many experts believe that external information is being introduced through various channels in North Korea, sparking interest in South Korean culture. This trend likely explains why the North Korean regime views the leaflets as a threat. In response, North Korea has enacted laws such as the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law (2020), the Youth Education Guarantee Law (2021), and the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Law (2023) to further control and punish freedom of expression and access to information.
North Korea has consistently rejected international demands to improve human rights, claiming that the rights of its people are purely internal matters and sovereign rights of the state. However, human rights are a universal concern. The international community must continue to address North Korean human rights issues to improve the quality of life and promote freedom for the North Korean people. The UN Security Council and other global actors must hold North Korea accountable and work to stop Kim’s regime from oppressing its people and engaging in nuclear and missile provocations.
