10,000 Firefighters Dispatched to Clean Up Northern Garbage Balloons... "Threat to Public Safety"

Fire Department Data... 1,500 Emergency Calls to 119
72% of Reports Concentrated in Seoul

North Korea has sent a large number of filth balloons to the South several times this year, resulting in over 1,500 119 emergency calls and the dispatch of approximately 10,000 firefighting personnel.

According to data submitted by the Fire Agency to Yang Bu-nam, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, as of the 13th of this year, there have been a total of 1,567 119 emergency calls related to North Korean filth balloons sent to the South. The number of firefighters dispatched was 10,405, and 2,485 fire vehicles were deployed.

A pro-North balloon discovered near Jamsil Bridge on the Han River in Seoul on the morning of June 9 [Photo by Yonhap News]

The region with the highest number of 119 emergency calls related to filth balloons sent to the South was Seoul. Seoul accounted for 1,126 calls, representing 71.9% of the total. This was followed by southern Gyeonggi with 162 calls, northern Gyeonggi with 151 calls, Incheon with 56 calls, Gangwon with 48 calls, and Chungbuk with 16 calls.

Reports related to filth balloons were received not only from border areas but also from southern regions relatively far from North Korea, such as Ulsan (1 case), Jeonnam (2 cases), and Gyeongbuk (4 cases).

On June 2, there was also a report of a balloon sent to the South being found in a village in Ipam-myeon, Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongbuk, approximately 216 km in a straight line from the Demilitarized Zone.

Representative Yang said, "119 emergency calls related to North Korea's filth balloons have been received not only in the metropolitan and border areas but also in various provinces, affecting the daily lives and safety of the people," and emphasized, "The government must establish practical measures to block the distribution of leaflets to North Korea."

North Korea began full-scale distribution of filth balloons at the end of May. On the 29th of the same month, about 260 large balloons containing filth and garbage sent by North Korea were found across the country in Gangwon, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Chungcheong provinces. Although North Korea had previously sent about 1,000 balloons annually in 2016-2017, distributing hundreds of balloons in a single day was unprecedented. Earlier, on May 26, North Korea threatened to respond to the distribution of leaflets by domestic pro-North Korean groups, stating, "Numerous pieces of toilet paper and filth will soon be distributed in the Korean border areas and central regions."

On July 22nd, an object presumed to be debris from a North Korean anti-South balloon was found inside the Gyeonggi Bukbu Police Agency building in Geumo-dong, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi Province.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The most recent filth balloon launches by North Korea occurred on the 10th and 11th. The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated at the time, "About 240 trash balloons were identified as launched by the North, with about 10 landing in northern Gyeonggi." It is likely that the approximately 230 trash balloons fell back into North Korean territory. Since the south wind was blowing at the time, most balloons appear not to have crossed the Demilitarized Zone. They added, "The contents of the balloons are paper materials, plastic bottles, and other trash," and "So far, analysis results show no hazardous substances."