Balloons launched by North Korea floats above Kaepung-gun of North Hwanghae Province in North Korea, as observed from the Odusan Unification Observation Deck in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on Sept. 5. (Yonhap)
North Korea sent more than 1,000 trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea over five consecutive days, resuming its launch of trash balloons following a monthlong hiatus, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sunday.
The JCS said that North Korea resumed its balloon launches at around 9 a.m. Sunday morning, just hours after it had sent around 200 trash-filled balloons toward South Korea late Saturday.
“Around 50 trash balloons were confirmed to have landed in Seoul and the northern region of Gyeonggi Province,” the JCS added. “Containing mostly scrap paper, pieces of plastic and plastic bottles, no hazardous materials have been found.”
The JCS also warned the public to watch out for falling debris and to avoid direct contact with any balloons they might find, advising them to report sightings to the nearest military unit or police.
“Considering the safety of our people as the top priority, the military will resolutely and calmly respond in accordance with the manual,” said the JCS.
According to the JCS, North Korea launched at least 1,100 trash balloons over the past five days. This marks the first time North Korea has launched trash balloons for five straight days.
Since May 28, North Korea has launched thousands of balloons carrying trash as a countermeasure against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea. In response to the balloon launches, South Korea’s military has been blasting anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts daily through its loudspeakers on the border since July 21.
While North Korea stopped launching trash balloons into South Korea for nearly four weeks after Aug. 10, it resumed launching the trash-carrying balloons from the night of Sept. 4. Local media cited speculations that the pause in North Korea’s balloon launches may have been due to a shortage of materials needed for the balloons, in part because of large-scale flood recovery efforts.
The trash balloons sent by North Korea on Sunday morning marked the 17th round of balloon launches since the first in late May.
A police line is set up around a trash-carrying balloon presumed to be sent by North Korea in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province on Sunday. (Yonhap)
Meanwhile, the North’s trash balloons were reported to have caused combined damages exceeding 100.5 million won ($75,000) in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, according to data submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday.
Between May 28 and Aug. 10, up to 79 million won and 26 million won in damages were recorded in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, respectively.
A total of 51 reports were filed to both the city and provincial offices, with 13 incidents being recorded in Seoul and 38 in Gyeonggi Province, with three still under assessment, according to the lawmaker’s data.
The most significant single report made involved a logistics center located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, western Seoul, on May 29, where a trash balloon fell onto a parked vehicle and caused property damage to the car roof amounting to some 15.71 million won.
On June 10, a residential building in Jongno, central Seoul, suffered property damage amounting to 14.85 million won after its roof was damaged due to a trash balloon. On June 2, a trash balloon with a detonator attached landed in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, causing a car to catch on fire, resulting in 1.24 million won in damages.
Currently, the law does not legally require the government to provide compensation in cases of property damage caused by North Korea’s provocations or trash balloons. While relevant laws are currently being proposed and revised by lawmakers, the Ministry of Interior and Safety stated in June that it will expedite the processing of damage reports ahead of the revision of related laws.
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