(Seoul) North Korea sent a new salvo of hundreds of balloons containing waste south of its border, the Seoul army announced Tuesday, in what the South Korean president denounced as “a despicable and irrational provocation “.
Pyongyang launched some 350 trash-filled balloons overnight, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that about 100 landed in the south, mainly in Gyeonggi province and the capital Seoul.
The bags attached to the balloons contained “primarily waste paper,” the military said, adding that they posed no risk to public safety.
“The South Korean military is ready to immediately wage its psychological warfare,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned the latest balloon display as a “despicable and irrational provocation” during a speech to mark the anniversary of the start of the Korean War.
He denounced the agreement between North Korea and Russia, signed by President Vladimir Putin during a state visit to Pyongyang last week, saying it was a “blatant violation of the resolutions of the UN Security Council”.
“Our armed forces will stand firmly ready to ensure that North Korea does not dare to challenge South Korea under any circumstances, and will respond overwhelmingly and decisively to any provocation from the North,” Mr. Yoon added.
Pyongyang has already sent more than a thousand balloons carrying trash to the South, which it presents as retaliation for balloons carrying propaganda by South Korean activists.
In response, Seoul completely suspended a military deal aimed at reducing tensions and restarted some loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the border.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister and top government spokeswoman, Kim Yo Jong, warned South Korea earlier this month that if leaflet drops and loudspeaker broadcasts continued, Seoul “would undoubtedly witness North Korea’s new counter-offensive.”
