SEOUL: North Korea has sent more trash-filled balloons southward, South Korea’s military said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of border barrages that have sparked a tit-for-tat propaganda campaign and cross-border provocations.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Pyongyang initiated the balloon launches on Monday evening, followed by additional launches late on Tuesday. Around 100 balloons from Monday’s barrage landed in South Korea, mostly in northern Gyeonggi province and the capital city, Seoul. The military confirmed that the balloons carried “mostly paper waste,” which they assessed posed no immediate safety risk to the public.
“The South Korean military is prepared to engage in psychological warfare at any moment,” the JCS stated, emphasizing that their response strategy hinges on North Korea’s future actions.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denounced North Korea’s latest actions during a speech marking the anniversary of the Korean War’s outbreak. He characterized the balloon launches as “despicable and irrational provocations.” Yoon also criticized a recent agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow, signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea, condemning it as a “blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions.”
“Our military will maintain robust readiness to prevent any challenge from North Korea and will respond decisively to any provocations,” President Yoon declared.
The balloon launches are part of North Korea’s retaliatory measures against South Korean activists who have been sending balloons with anti-Kim Jong Un propaganda northward. In response to North Korea’s actions, Seoul has halted a military agreement aimed at reducing tensions and resumed propaganda broadcasts via loudspeakers along the border.
Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, a key government spokesperson, had previously warned Seoul about potential consequences if the leaflet drops and loudspeaker broadcasts continued. She stated earlier this month that South Korea would “undoubtedly witness the new counteraction of the DPRK” in response.
Experts warned that the situation at the border could escalate rapidly. “Since South Korea has met the first condition — the leaflet scattering — if the government were to resume loudspeakers, we would likely see the ‘new counteraction’ that was mentioned,” explained Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Women’s University.
Meanwhile, President Yoon visited a US aircraft carrier that arrived in South Korea over the weekend for joint military exercises aimed at enhancing defences against North Korean threats. These drills, which also involve Japan, are scheduled to commence later this month.
Pyongyang routinely criticizes joint military exercises involving South Korea and its allies, viewing them as preparations for an invasion.
