South Korean authorities say baggage connected to balloons despatched over from North Korea “contained filthy waste and trash” and are being analysed by officers.
North Korea has dropped greater than 100 balloons carrying propaganda leaflets, garbage and excrement on two South Korean provinces, with officers warning residents to remain indoors to keep away from being hit with the unhygienic substances.
South Korea’s army cautioned the general public towards touching the white balloons and the plastic baggage connected to them as a result of they include “filthy waste and trash”.
Images taken by native media present inflated balloons floating within the air with plastic baggage tethered to them.
Other photographs present collapsed balloons on the bottom with garbage and excrement splattered close by.
According to Yonhap information company, greater than 150 balloons had been detected, with some nonetheless floating within the air above the South Korean provinces.
The South Korean army mentioned a few of the balloons gave the impression to be carrying a lot of gadgets similar to plastic bottles, batteries, shoe components and manure.
It seems the South Korean army has straight blamed North Korea for the incident, saying the objects got here from throughout the border close to the demilitarised zone – the closely fortified border that separates the 2 nations who’re nonetheless technically at struggle.
“These acts by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten our people’s safety,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff mentioned, in accordance with Yonhap. “[We] sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop these inhumane and vulgar acts.”
North and South Korea have each used balloons of their propaganda campaigns for the reason that Korean War within the Fifties.
The incident comes after North Korea mentioned it could strike again towards “frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish” by activists within the South.
“Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK [Republic of Korea] and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them,” North Korea’s vice-minister of defence Kim Kang Il mentioned in a press release on Sunday.
Earlier this month, a South Korea-based activist group claimed it had despatched 20 balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets and USB sticks containing Korean pop music and music movies throughout the border.