N. Korea sends trash-carrying balloons again to S. Korea: Seoul military

North Korea on Monday sent balloons presumed to be carrying trash toward South Korea again, Seoul’s military said, marking the fifth launch of its kind since late last month.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said an unspecified number of balloons flown by the North appeared to be travelling in a southeastern direction from the northern part of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul.

It advised the public not to touch fallen balloons and report them to military or police authorities.

The latest launch came after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North’s leader, hinted Friday at sending more balloons in response to anti-Pyongyang leaflets launched by North Korean defectors in South Korea via balloons the previous night.

Since May 28, North Korea is estimated to have launched more than 1,600 trash-carrying balloons to the South on four occasions through June 9.

In response, South Korea blared anti-Pyongyang broadcasts through its border loudspeakers on June 9 for the first time in six years. But it has not continued the broadcasts in an apparent bid to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.

Earlier in the day, Seoul’s unification ministry said parasites were detected in some of the soil from the trash sent by the North, but no harmful substances were found in an examination of 70 balloons.

Torn pieces of clothing, such as neckties and blue jackets, which appeared to have been cut with scissors or knives, were also discovered. The clothes were identified as items previously provided to North Korea by a South Korean company.

For years, North Korean defectors in South Korea and conservative activists have sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North using balloons, aiming to encourage North Koreans to rise up against the North’s ruling regime.

North Korea has strongly opposed the propaganda campaign, fearing that an influx of outside information could threaten the leadership of its regime.