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N. Korea launches trash balloons toward S. Korea for 2nd day: JCS

September 16, 2024

North Korea on Sunday launched balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea for the second straight day, the South’s military said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the latest launches, noting the balloons could travel toward the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, and the broader capital area.

The launch came after the North flew around 50 trash-carrying balloons toward the South from Saturday night to early Sunday, with about 10 trash bundles landing in Gyeonggi Province and Seoul, according to the JCS.

The JCS said the trash mostly consisted of paper, plastic bottles and other household garbage, while no hazardous substances have been found.

Since late May, the North has launched thousands of trash-carrying balloons toward the South in retaliation against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea.

In response, South Korea’s military has been blasting daily anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts through its loudspeakers on the border.

North Korea has bristled at the leaflet and loudspeaker campaigns on fears that an influx of outside information could pose a threat to the Kim Jong-un regime.

This file photo, provided by the fire services of Gangwon Province, shows a bundle of trash presumed to be sent by North Korea in Chuncheon, 75 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Sept. 7, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
This file photo, provided by the fire services of Gangwon Province, shows a bundle of trash presumed to be sent by North Korea in Chuncheon, 75 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Sept. 7, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)