North Korea Says It Will Stop Releasing "Trash Balloons" If South Korea Turns Off Loudspeakers

Government Announces North Korea's Suspension of Provocations After Loudspeaker Mention
"Temporary Halt of Filth Spraying... Will Resume if Leaflets Are Dropped"
North Claims 3,500 Sprayed... Military Identifies 1,000

After our government pulled out the 'loudspeaker for North Korea' card in response to North Korea's release of filth balloons, the North declared a 'temporary suspension.' However, they threatened that if the South sends leaflets (pyeora) to the North again, they will "intensively release a hundred times the amount of toilet paper and filth again."

Kim Kang-il, Vice Minister of the North Korean Ministry of Defense, stated in a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency on the night of the 2nd, "We have sufficiently experienced how disgusting and labor-intensive it is to pick up the toilet papers scattered by the South Koreans," and "We will temporarily suspend the act of releasing toilet paper beyond the border."

On the morning of the 2nd, military personnel are checking debris from a North Korean waste balloon that fell in front of the Incheon Meteorological Station in Jeondong, Jung-gu, Incheon, using a mine detector. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Vice Minister Kim defined the North's release of filth balloons as a 'thorough countermeasure' and claimed, "From the night of May 28 to the early morning of June 2, we released 15 tons of toilet paper waste, which human trash likes to handle, using over 3,500 devices near the South Korean border and metropolitan areas." He threatened, "If the South resumes anti-Republic leafleting, we will respond by intensively releasing a hundred times the amount of toilet paper and filth as already warned, depending on the amount and number found."

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea resumed releasing filth balloons from the previous night, and by 1 p.m. that day, about 720 were found in regions including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Gyeongbuk. This follows the release of about 260 filth balloons toward the South on May 28-29, resuming the release after three days. In total, nearly 1,000 have been identified so far, showing some discrepancy with North Korea's claims.

The government issued a warning, stating it would take 'unbearable measures.' Jang Ho-jin, Director of the National Security Office, chaired an emergency Standing Committee of the National Security Council (NSC) that afternoon and briefed that regarding North Korea's repeated provocations such as filth balloon releases and GPS jamming, "North Korea will face measures it cannot endure, and we will not tolerate further provocations."

A senior official from the Presidential Office told reporters that regarding the meaning of 'unbearable measures,' "Resuming loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea is not excluded," and "We will naturally take the necessary procedures to do so." On the timing of implementing the 'unbearable measures,' the official added, "We will act immediately without hesitation," and "We do not think there is a need to delay."

Earlier, Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, made unreasonable claims invoking the South's 'freedom of expression' regarding North Korea's filth balloon releases, but ultimately, when the 'loudspeaker for North Korea' card appeared, she quickly backed down and said they would stop provocations against the South.

The loudspeaker is a psychological warfare tool considered a legacy of the Cold War era. However, when comparing the performance of North Korea's loudspeakers aimed at the South and our loudspeakers aimed at the North, there is a clear 'asymmetric power.' Broadcasting external information and news not reported by North Korean state media, as well as South Korean pop songs, is expected to unsettle North Korean soldiers and residents.

Our military has already secured sufficient 'loudspeaker capabilities.' According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military has introduced new loudspeakers, including 16 mobile loudspeakers and 24 fixed loudspeaker sets, at a cost of about 16 billion won. The audible range of the new loudspeakers is 8-10 km for mobile loudspeakers and 12-15 km for fixed loudspeakers. This performance is enough to broadcast from the Military Demarcation Line to the Kaesong Industrial Complex.