Criticism of 'Public Dispersion'... Will the Filth Balloons Resurface?
North Korea expressed opposition to some anti-North Korea groups' additional leaflet distribution and announced its intention to respond in kind.
In a statement released on the 21st through the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, said, "Dirty scraps of paper and items were scattered again near the border of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," adding, "Dirty items were found in rice paddies, reservoir banks, and orchards." She warned, "Since they clearly did what they were told not to do again, it is natural that there will be tasks that do not need to be done."
In particular, she openly criticized the public leaflet distribution, saying, "Through reports, the disgusting defector trash did not hide the fact that they sent leaflets flying beyond our border." North Korea has generally not responded to leaflet distributions conducted privately, but when some groups publicly announced the distribution, it took opposing stances and actions.
The Free Joseon Movement, led by representative Park Sang-hak, claimed that between 10 p.m. and midnight the previous day, they released 20 large balloons containing leaflets, portable storage devices (USBs), and 1-dollar bills toward the North in the Paju area of Gyeonggi Province.
Earlier, North Korea opposed the leaflet distribution and released four rounds of sewage balloons from the end of last month until the 9th of this month. The South Korean government fully suspended the effectiveness of the September 19 military agreement on the 4th as a countermeasure and reactivated loudspeakers near the border on the 9th. However, as tensions between the two sides entered a lull, military authorities did not operate the loudspeakers further.
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