UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Command (UNC) has strongly condemned North Korea’s balloon launches into South Korea this week, describing the act that sent bags of trash across the border as a violation of the Korean War Armistice Agreement and international law.
US Army Major Mayra Nañez, a spokesperson for the UNC, said that the balloon launches, which sent bags of trash across the border, have disrupted efforts to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and have adversely affected local citizens.
The UNC spokesperson denounced North Korea’s actions, stating that they not only violated international law but also undermined efforts to preserve peace in the region. Nañez emphasized that the act of sending balloons containing fecal matter and other contaminants into South Korean airspace was irresponsible and warranted a formal investigation by the UNC.
“The DPRK has repeatedly stated its desire to be treated as a responsible member of the international community, but the act of sending balloons containing fecal matter and other contaminants into a neighbor’s airspace and affecting its populace is irresponsible,” Nañez said.
“We condemn any violations of international law that disrupt efforts to preserve peace on the Korean Peninsula,” the spokesperson said.
The UNC’s condemnation comes in response to North Korea’s launch of at least 260 balloons carrying trash into South Korea on Tuesday night last week. This provocative act followed Pyongyang’s earlier threat to send “mounds of filth” over the border in retaliation to South Korean activists’ anti-regime leafleting.
The UNC may have been referring to Article 6 of the Armistice Agreement, which states that neither side should “execute any hostile act within, from, or against the demilitarized zone,” an area North Korea may have breached through its apparently state-coordinated launches.
Furthermore, North Korea’s actions likely violated the 1989 Basel Convention— to which the DPRK is a party — which prohibits the unauthorized transportation of hazardous materials and waste across borders. By sending waste material directly into South Korean airspace, North Korea flouted international regulations and endangered the well-being of neighboring communities.
These balloon launches are just the latest in a series of provocative steps taken by North Korea, including failed satellite launches and a barrage of short-range missile tests aimed at demonstrating its military capabilities. The regime’s continued aggression has heightened tensions in the region and threatens stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Some North Korean defectors have said about the balloon releases, “the North Korean regime realizes that freedom of expression, which was the first thing they thought about, is the freedom to send garbage and filth.” They have criticized North Korea’s actions as childish and ineffective, highlighting the damage caused to vehicles and infrastructure in affected areas. “North Korea’s balloon release is a very childish and cheesy way of doing things.”
North Korea launched around 260 trash balloons on May 28 and 29 and an additional 720 balloons on June 1 and 2, causing damage in some areas, including vehicle destruction. North Korea had also engaged in GPS jamming attacks targeting aircraft and ships in northwestern island regions, further exacerbating tensions and posing risks to regional security.
