North Korea Releases 600 More Filth Balloons Since Yesterday... Found in Seoul Metropolitan Area and Gangwon Province (Comprehensive)

Three Days After First Dispersal... Continuing Complex Provocations
JCS "Beware of Falling Objects... Report Immediately Without Contact Upon Discovery"

Military authorities announced on the 2nd that North Korea has been confirmed to have sent a large number of 'anti-South filth balloons.'

On the same day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea began releasing filth balloons from 8 p.m. the previous day, and about 600 were identified in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas by the morning. This second release came just three days after North Korea released about 280 filth balloons toward the South on the 28th and 29th of last month.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The balloons released this time fell in the metropolitan area and Gangwon Province. According to the Gangwon Alert Control Center, about 20 filth balloons were found within the province during the second release period. The Incheon Fire Department also reported receiving 10 related calls within its jurisdiction from 9 p.m. the previous day to 8 a.m. on the day.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the balloons are known to contain filth and trash such as cigarette butts, waste paper, and plastic, similar to the previous incident.

Military authorities are focusing on safely collecting the balloons after they fall rather than shooting them down, as they cannot rule out the possibility that hazardous materials may be included.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff urged, "Citizens should be cautious of falling payloads, and if you find any fallen filth balloons, please do not touch them and report to the nearest military unit or police."

Since the failure of the military reconnaissance satellite launch on the 27th of last month, North Korea has continued complex provocations, including the release of anti-South filth balloons. From the 29th of last month until the day before, North Korea conducted GPS signal jamming attacks toward the South around the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea for four consecutive days. On the 30th of last month, it launched 18 rounds of the short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) super-large multiple rocket launcher (KN-25) all at once into the East Sea.

Our government announced its 'Recent Government Position on North Korean Provocations' on the 31st of last month, warning, "If North Korea does not stop, we will take all measures that North Korea will find unbearable."

The government is also reportedly considering strengthening psychological warfare against North Korea, including the resumption of psychological warfare unit balloon releases and loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North, if North Korea continues such low-level provocations.