Seoul, South Korea issued a city-wide warning urging the public not to touch balloons sent from North Korea and to report them to the military or police. The South Korean military stated that North Korea had been sending balloons containing undesirable materials across the heavily fortified border.
Earlier in the week, North Korea had dispatched hundreds of balloons filled with trash and excrement, labeling them as “gifts of sincerity” and promising to send more. South Korea’s defense minister condemned this act as “unimaginably petty and low-grade behavior.”
A public broadcast in Seoul urged individuals to avoid handling balloons seen in the sky near the city, emphasizing that the military was managing the situation. The defense ministry also requested other regional governments to spread similar messages to the public.
The balloon exchanges are part of a ongoing conflict stemming from a propaganda campaign conducted by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea. These individuals have been sending balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets, food, medicine, money, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop content across the border.
In response to the leaflet campaign, North Korea retaliated by cutting off official military and political communication links with South Korea, and even destroying an inter-Korean liaison office at the border. Despite South Korea passing a law in 2020 criminalizing the sending of leaflets to North Korea, activists continued with their efforts.
Last year, South Korea’s constitutional court nullified the 2020 law, citing it as an undue restriction on free speech. In the midst of the ongoing tensions, Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, mocked South Korea for objecting to the balloons, stating that North Koreans were simply exercising their freedom of expression.
The situation remains tense as Seoul warns the public of potential future balloons being sent from North Korea and continues to navigate the complexities of their relationship with their northern neighbor.