According to the AP agency, South Korea's military took action to extract and safe waste scattered across the country, mobilising chemical and explosives consequence teams. Pictures published by the South Korean armed forces show balloons and garbage scattered in 8 of the 9 provinces. They could be found, among others, in Seoul and along highways and roads.
Unspecified garbage and fertilizer
On Tuesday late evening, residents residing north of Seoul and in the border region received text messages from provincial authorities asking for ‘stopping from outdoor activity’. They were besides asked to study to the nearest military base or police station if they noticed a “unidentified facility”.
The South Korean armed forces announced that by Wednesday any 260 North Korean balloons had been found, which were secured by military fast consequence and removal units of explosives. The military reports that balloons have brought various types of waste and fertilizers, but so far no human feces have been found in them. Photos made available on social media show bags attached with string to white translucent balloons, including toilet paper, dark earth and batteries. Civilians were advised to avoid contact with North Korean objects.
In a message issued on the weekend, North Korea's Deputy Minister of Defense, Kim Kang Il, announced a plan to spread the “mountains of waste and waste” over border areas and another parts of South Korea. This is intended to respond to the dissemination of leaflets by activists from South Korea.
Response to Activists
In border areas and in the Republic of Korea, heaps of waste and waste will shortly be scattered, and the Republic of Korea will straight see how much effort it takes to remove them said Kim Kang Il.
The South Korean military condemned this act as "a clear violation of global law".
This seriously threatens the safety of our people. North Korea bears full work for what will happen due to balloons and we severely inform North Korea to immediately cease this inhuman and primitive action – the military informed.
At the beginning of this month, a group of South Korean activists announced that they had sent 20 balloons across the border with flyers other Pjongjang and flash drive containing Korean pop music and music videos. In December 2020, the Seoul Parliament adopted a law criminalizing the dissemination of leaflets directed against Pyongyang, but critics expressed concerns about freedom of speech and human rights.
It turns out that this is not a fresh situation for the population there. Both North and South Korea have been utilizing balloons in their propaganda campaigns since the Korean War in the 1950s.
