North Korea sends over 700 balloons filled with garbage to the South

SEOUL (EFE) – North Korea has sent more than 700 balloons with debris to the South since Saturday, the South Korean military reported today, at a time when Seoul is considering responding by reactivating its loudspeakers along the border.

About 720 of these balloons were detected crossing the border separating the two countries between 8:00 pm Saturday (1:00 am GMT) and 1:00 pm today (4:00 am GMT), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

The balloons contained all kinds of garbage including cigarette butts and dung, according to the Southern military, which said the material from one of the balloons also damaged a parked vehicle in Ansan, about 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

Balloons were sent out on Tuesday and Wednesday

The release of balloons comes after North Korea sent about 260 balloons filled with garbage and excrement to the South on Tuesday and Wednesday, warning that it would respond to anti-regime leaflets sent by Southern activists.

The military has advised citizens not to touch the balloons (which are equipped with timers to burst them) or the material they are carrying, and to inform military or police authorities if they find them.

According to Kim Jong-un’s brother, “a sincere gift.”

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said on Wednesday the balloons were a “sincere gift” to South Koreans demanding guarantees of freedom of expression and warned her country would send “dozens of times” more balloons to retaliate, citing leaflets by activists that litter the North.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry warned on Friday that it would take “unbearably painful” measures against North Korea if it continued to release the balloons and it is believed the South Korean government may today decide to resume its campaign of broadcasting anti-regime propaganda through loudspeakers to the border.

North Korea tried to put a spy satellite into orbit

North Korea tried to launch a spy satellite into orbit last Monday but the rocket exploded mid-flight, and has since stepped up its activities to provoke the South.

Today, for the fifth day in a row, Pyongyang carried out attacks jamming GPS navigation systems in the waters near South Korea’s border islands.

The regime also fired artillery on Thursday in an exercise aimed at demonstrating its determination to launch a pre-emptive strike against South Korea.