Press
North Korea, ruled by Kim Jong-un, has made good on a threat and sent hundreds of balloons filled with garbage to South Korea. It is not the first action of this kind.
Seoul – North Korea is said to have sent at least 260 balloons filled with garbage to its neighbour South Korea. According to the South Korean military, the garbage bags contained various waste products, from toilet paper to batteries and even feces. The population is currently being warned not to touch the white balloons and the plastic bags attached to them and is being asked to stay at home. The action follows a warning from North Korea.
South Korea warns population against “outdoor activities” – North Korean poop balloons found almost throughout the country
The waste is said to have already landed in eight of South Korea’s nine provinces. Residents north of the South Korean capital Seoul had already received a warning on Tuesday afternoon to “refrain from outdoor activities”. If an “unknown project” was sighted, the nearest military base or police should also be notified. The US media outlet BBC.
The South Korean military, however, described North Korea’s action as a “clear violation of international law” and demanded that the dictator Kim Jong Un called on the country to “immediately stop the inhuman and vulgar acts.”
The action could be described as vulgar because some of the garbage bags were said to have contained feces. This was evident “from their dark color and smell,” reports the South Korean news agency Yonhap. The balloons endanger the safety of the civilian population, it continues. Only in January, Kim Jong-un threatened South Korea with the destruction of the country.
North Korea has already threatened South Korea with “mountains of waste paper and dirt” because of leaflet campaigns
The balloons to which the garbage bags were attached follow a threat from North Korea. The deputy defense minister of the authoritarian country had, as BBC reported, last Sunday retaliatory measures were announced “against the frequent scattering of leaflets and other garbage.” “Mountains of waste paper and dirt will soon be scattered across the border areas,” according to the message from North Korea, which is supporting Russia in the Ukraine war. South Korea will experience for itself “how much effort it takes to clear everything away.”
South and North Korea in conflict: Balloons keep flying over the border
South Korean activists and refugees from North Korea have repeatedly launched similar campaigns in the past, sending balloons with leaflets across the border calling for, among other things, the overthrow of the regime. In addition to the leaflets, the balloons also contained money, South Korean snacks and USB sticks with K-pop music videos banned in North Korea. The Guardian reportedmasks and painkillers were also flown to North Korea during the corona pandemic. Kim Jong-un described the balloons as “dirty garbage” and claimed that they were responsible for the spread of Covid-19 in the isolated country.
North Korea has repeatedly reacted angrily to the actions, and in 2016 it also sent garbage to its neighboring country. In South Korea itself, the leaflet campaigns are controversial. Under the South Korean government led by liberal President Moon Jae-in, a law was passed in 2021 banning the sending of leaflets and other objects. The actions would unnecessarily provoke North Korea and hinder efforts to improve cross-border relations. Angry reactions from human rights activists in the country followed. Last year, the ban was finally lifted on the grounds that it disproportionately restricted freedom of expression. (dpa)
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