North Korea retaliated against South Korea by launching 260 balloons filled with trash and manure. Amid escalating tensions, Seoul urges residents to stay indoors. Kim Jong Un's retaliation follows South Korean activists' leaflet scattering over North Korea.
In a retaliatory move, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dispatched over 260 white balloons filled with various items of rubbish, including plastic bottles, batteries, and what is believed to be manure, to South Korea. This action follows the scattering of anti-North Korean leaflets over North Korea by South Korean activists. Authorities urged residents to stay indoors as the balloons, carrying 'filthy waste and trash,' began descending late on Tuesday.
Kim Kang-il, a North Korean defense vice-minister, had previously warned of retaliation for the leaflets, stating that 'mounds of wastepaper and filth' would be scattered over South Korea. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff condemned North Korea's actions as a violation of international laws and a threat to public safety, urging an immediate cessation.
The use of balloons in propaganda campaigns dates back to the Korean War, with North Korean defectors often sending anti-regime leaflets and banned items like USB memory sticks containing Korean pop music and videos across the border.
