100 North Korean Filth Balloons Dropped... Military Issues 'Loudspeaker' Warning to North Korea

JCS "Ready to Operate Loudspeakers for North Korea
... Implementation Depends on North Korea's Actions"

It has been confirmed that about 100 of the filth balloons that North Korea resumed releasing fell in the South Korean territory. Military authorities issued a warning message, stating that the operation of the 'loudspeakers for North Korea' will be carried out flexibly but depends on North Korea's actions.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 25th, North Korea released about 350 filth balloons from the previous night, and among them, about 100 were identified to have fallen in the Seoul and northern Gyeonggi areas. A JCS official said, "Currently, North Korea is not sustaining the balloons, and none are being identified in the air." The contents were mostly paper waste similar to previous provocations, and there were no harmful substances.

Training scene inspecting the operation of mobile loudspeaker vehicles and equipment. [Photo by Joint Chiefs of Staff]

The JCS announced through a message distributed to the Ministry of National Defense press corps at around 9:26 p.m. the previous day that "North Korea is again releasing objects presumed to be filth balloons toward the South." This is the fifth filth balloon release, occurring three days after Kim Yo-jong, the Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, issued a 'resumption warning.'

Earlier, the Free North Korea Movement Alliance claimed that on the 20th, they released 20 large balloons containing leaflets, USB drives, and one-dollar bills in the Paju area of Gyeonggi Province. The next day, Deputy Director Kim Yo-jong indicated a policy of countering with filth balloons in a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency, saying, "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."

Our military conducted broadcasts toward North Korea using some fixed loudspeakers in the border area on the 9th. This was a countermeasure in response to North Korea's filth balloon releases. However, since then, the conflict has entered a lull, and no additional loudspeaker operations have been carried out.

However, with North Korea resuming filth balloon releases, the military's response is drawing attention. A JCS official said, "We are ready to immediately implement psychological warfare broadcasts toward North Korea," adding, "We will carry them out flexibly according to strategic and operational situations, and this depends on North Korea's actions."