SEOUL: North Korea has sent balloons full of trash, toilet paper and suspected animal faeces into the

South, local media reports said on Wednesday, with Seoul’s military slamming Pyongyang for their “low class” actions.

Photographs showing white balloons bearing garbage bags full of trash and what appeared to be excrement were shared widely by South Korean media, after the North warned this weekend it would shower border areas in “mounds of wastepaper and filth” to punish Seoul.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that “unidentified objects believed to be North Korean propaganda leaflets have been identified in the Gyeonggi-Gang­won border area and the military is taking action”.

“Citizens should refrain from outdoor activities, do not come into contact with any unknown objects, and report them to the nearest military base or police,” it said in a statement sent to this news agency.

It said that the North’s actions “clearly violate international laws and seriously threaten the safety of our people,” saying some of the balloons had contained suspected trash, which the military was checking. “We sternly warn the North to immediately stop its inhumane and low-class actions,” it added.

Late Tuesday night, Gyeonggi province issued a text message alert to residents saying: “Refrain from outdoor activities and report (objects from North Korea) to military bases when identified.” South Korean activists sometimes release balloons carrying anti-Kim Jong Un regime propaganda leaflets and money intended for people living north of the border.

Pyongyang has long been infuriated by the propaganda campaigns, possi­bly due to concerns that an influx of outside information in the tightly controlled society could pose a threat to the Kim regime. North Korea recently threatened to retaliate.

“Tit-for-tat action will be also taken against frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish by the ROK near border areas,” Kim Kang Il, a vice-minister of defence, said in a statement, using the acronym for South Korea’s official name.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2024