North Korea sends balloons with trash into South again

AFP | Seoul, South Korea

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

North Korea again sent trash-carrying balloons into the South yesterday, the South Korean military said, a day after Seoul warned of countermeasures against such activity. Earlier this week, North Korea sent around 260 balloons carrying bags of trash, including waste batteries, cigarette butts  and what appeared to be manure, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Authorities in Seoul condemned that act as “lowclass”, and the South Korean unification ministry warned Friday that the government would take countermeasures if Pyongyang did not cease such “irrational” provocations.

North Korea is “once again floating balloons carrying waste toward the South”, the JCS said in a text message to reporters.

It advised the public to refrain from touching the balloons if spotted and to report them to authorities.

The Seoul city government also sent a text alert to residents on Saturday, warning of an “unidentified object presumed to be North Korean propaganda leaflets”.

The object has been “detected in the airspace near Seoul and is currently being addressed by the military”, it said, advising residents to “refrain from outdoor activities”. Pyongyang defended its release of the balloons earlier this week, saying the “sincere gifts” were retaliation for the balloons sent into North Korea with propaganda against leader Kim Jong Un.