North Korea, Which Announced 'Omuljjakdeul Salpo', Took Action in Two Days

North Korea on the 26th: "Filthy objects to be scattered over South Korea"
Military detects about 90 'filthy balloons' suspected to contain feces

North Korea, which threatened to "scatter filth in South Korea," flew leaflets toward the South within two days, prompting military authorities to take action.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 29th, objects presumed to be leaflets (pira) scattered by North Korea the previous night were detected in areas near the border between Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces. Over 90 balloons were identified in the frontline area alone, flying at altitudes visible to the naked eye, with some falling down. The Joint Chiefs explained that the military did not shoot down the balloons considering it was nighttime but monitored the areas instead.

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea [Image source=Yonhap News]

Some balloons that fell on land reportedly carried dark-colored and foul-smelling substances presumed to be "excrement" contained in envelopes hanging from them. On the 26th, North Korea's Ministry of Defense threatened, saying, "The psychological warfare of scattering leaflets and various filthy objects (by the South) is severe," and warned, "Countless pieces of tissue paper and filth will soon be scattered near the South Korean border areas and deep inland."

The history of distributing leaflets, also called "pira" on the Korean Peninsula, dates back to the Korean War. Although the North and South agreed to suspend propaganda activities in June 2004, sporadic leaflet distribution has continued since then.

During the Moon Jae-in administration, North Korea opposed the leaflet distribution, blowing up the inter-Korean joint liaison office. At that time, the Democratic Party of Korea forcibly passed an amendment to the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act, known as the "Kim Yo-jong Command Law" or the "Anti-Leaflet Distribution Law." The Constitutional Court ruled it unconstitutional in September last year, and the current government has effectively allowed leaflet distribution toward North Korea while requesting "restraint."

Vinyl bags collected by the military in 2016 from the Han River area in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi Province. They contain leaflets and other materials distributed by North Korea aimed at South Korea.
[Photo by Joint Chiefs of Staff]