Approximately 20 balloons carrying paper waste and plastic bottles landed in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Fortunately, no hazardous materials were detected in these incidents.
This is the first time in 25 days that North Korea has launched such balloons. The balloons are part of a larger campaign of psychological warfare that has unfolded along the inter-Korean border in recent months. Since early June, North Korea has conducted 13 rounds of balloon launches, sending thousands of balloons loaded with scrap paper, shredded clothing, and even manure into South Korea.
One of these balloons even dropped debris on the compound of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in July.
Escalating Psychological Warfare
The North’s actions are reportedly in retaliation against South Korean civilian activists who have been sending anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. North Korea has long been sensitive to external criticism, especially any that targets its authoritarian leadership or its ruler, Kim Jong Un.
