North Korean Filth Balloons Reach Presidential Office... Yongsan "Recognizes Seriousness, Considering Additional Measures" (Comprehensive)

Real-time Monitoring with Observation Equipment for Location Measurement
Presidential Office "Recognizes the Seriousness and Gravity of the Matter"
Additional Measures Under Close Review with Relevant Agencies

Military officials are inspecting the contents of a South Korea-bound trash balloon launched from North Korea, which fell near the National Jeongdong Theater in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 24th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the 24th, a 'filth balloon' dispersed by North Korea was found to have fallen inside the Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

The Presidential Office stated, "We monitored in real-time and accurately measured the (fall) location," adding, "We recognize the seriousness of the matter."

The Presidential Security Service explained that on the same day, "While monitoring the North Korean trash balloons drifting southward in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, we identified trash that had fallen around the Yongsan Office building."

Earlier, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea had dispersed filth balloons toward the South that morning and said they were "moving toward the northern Gyeonggi region."

Although filth balloons have been found near Yongsan before, this is the first time one has entered and fallen inside the Presidential Office building.

The Security Service said, "The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) response team confirmed that the object posed no danger or contamination and collected it," adding, "We are continuing monitoring in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Regarding this, a Presidential Office official told reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the morning, "We monitored in real-time through observation equipment and clearly measured the (filth balloon fall) location to detect it," adding, "We took safe measures after it fell."

They explained that they had confirmed the filth balloon entering the Presidential Office building in advance, waited for it to fall, and then collected it. The government maintains the policy of collecting the filth balloons after they fall because shooting them down in the air could scatter the contents and cause greater damage.

On the morning of the 24th, a balloon carrying South Korea-bound trash, presumed to have been launched by North Korea, was floating over Yongsan-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

When asked whether the filth balloon entering the Presidential Office could be perceived as a 'declaration of war,' a Presidential Office official said, "We recognize the seriousness and gravity of the matter," adding, "Additional measures or responses require careful review by relevant agencies."

They also said, "We are monitoring in real-time with relevant agencies any additional balloons moving toward the Yongsan area," and added, "We plan to respond quickly and safely in cooperation."

Recently, the South and North have been confronting each other by exchanging filth balloons and loudspeaker broadcasts.

After North Korea dispersed balloons on the 18th, our military partially operated loudspeakers, and in response, North Korea launched balloons again on the morning of the 21st.

On the same day in the afternoon, the military announced a policy to fully operate loudspeakers and has continued broadcasting since, while North Korea resumed dispersing filth balloons.