88 Anti-South Trash Balloons Found in Seoul
Trash Balloon Drop in Ansan Damages Car Windshield
Trash Balloons Fall Near Pohang Beach
About 1,000 balloons carrying filth, which North Korea released twice since last month, have fallen, causing damage such as car windshields being broken across the country. In particular, a large number of filth balloons fell in the capital city of Seoul, prompting the Seoul Metropolitan Government to operate an initial response team.
At around 10:22 a.m. on the 2nd, a balloon carrying waste, presumed to have come from North Korea, fell in the parking lot of a villa in Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do. The photo shows the shattered windshield of a passenger car where the balloon fell.
According to the police on the 2nd, around 8:30 a.m. that day, two filth balloons fell in Daejang-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi Province. One of them exploded near the front wheel of a truck, causing the tire and the outside of the driver's seat to burn and become scorched. This led to analysis suggesting that the balloons or their cargo might have contained explosive or flammable materials such as gunpowder, posing a risk of explosion or fire. A police official said, "The timer inside the balloon burned and scorched the truck wheel, but the fire did not spread."
Also, around 10:22 a.m. on the same day, a filth balloon presumed to have come from North Korea fell in a villa parking lot in Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi Province. The balloon fell onto a parked passenger car, shattering its front windshield.
Around the same time, an object presumed to be a filth balloon fell in a market area in Manan-gu, Anyang-si, covering the street with its contents. Most shops in this market were closed that day, so there were few citizens passing through, and no injuries were reported.
In Pohang-si, an object presumed to be a filth balloon was found on the sandy beach near Hwajin Beach. The filth balloon contained cigarette butts, waste paper, plastic, and other garbage, but no chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear contamination has been detected so far.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, from 9 p.m. the previous day to 6 a.m. that day, 36 balloons and reports of leaflets and filth waste were received throughout Seoul. As of 2 p.m. that day, a total of 88 filth balloons were found in Seoul.
To protect citizens from North Korea's leaflets and filth-dispersing balloons, Seoul established an 'initial response team' and operates a 24-hour situation room in cooperation with the Capital Defense Command, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and Seoul Fire & Disaster Headquarters to monitor and respond in real time.
Seoul stated that since the balloons carrying filth weigh more than 5 kg, caution is needed regarding falling cargo, and citizens are advised not to touch them if found but to report to the military, police, or the Dasan Call Center.
Earlier, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea began releasing filth balloons from 8 p.m. the previous day. About 600 balloons have been identified so far across the metropolitan area including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, as well as nationwide in Gangwon, Chungbuk, and Gyeongbuk. In these areas, safety alert messages were sent to citizens urging caution with messages such as "North Korea is again releasing filth balloons toward the South. Citizens are advised to be careful of falling cargo and not to touch filth balloons if found, but to report to military units (1338) or the police."
North Korea had previously released about 260 filth balloons toward the South on the 28th and 29th of last month. Combining the first and second rounds, as of 5 a.m. that day, 514 reports of filth balloons had been received by the police. There were 295 reports of objects being found and 219 inquiries related to disaster message content and other related reports.
The police and fire departments immediately dispatched personnel upon receiving reports to preserve the scene and take initial measures, while the military collects the balloons and their debris for detailed analysis by relevant agencies.
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