North Korea has been releasing balloons containing waste into South Korea, despite warnings from Seoul. On June 1, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) informed the media that North Korea had once again released balloons containing waste and advised people not to touch them and to report them to authorities. The same day, the Seoul capital government issued a warning about unidentified objects suspected to be propaganda leaflets from North Korea on outdoor activities, advising residents to limit their activities.
A balloon containing waste from North Korea had previously landed in a field in Cheorwon, South Korea on May 29. This latest incident has prompted criticism from South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, who called North Korea’s actions “unbelievably low and uncultured behavior.” In response, South Korean activists sent humanitarian aid balloons to North Korea.
North Korea defended their actions by calling the balloons a “sincere gift” in response to South Korea’s release of propaganda-carrying balloons. Pyongyang has long been angered by balloons released by South Korean activists, which often contain cash, rice, or USBs with Korean dramas. Despite a law passed by the South Korean National Assembly in 2020 criminalizing the act of sending leaflets to North Korea, activists continued their activities. However, the Korean Constitutional Court overturned the law last year citing it as an excessive restriction on freedom of speech.
Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister mocked South Korea and announced that North Korea would send “dozens of times” the number of balloons that South Korea had released. The situation between the two countries remains tense as they deal with ongoing issues related to these releases
