Seoul City Establishes Initial Firefighting System for 'Buk Waste Balloons' Fire

Seoul City Allocates 350 Million Won Disaster Fund
Continuous Information Sharing and Expansion of Wildfire Delay System Deployment

Amid the recent increase in the number of North Korea's filth balloon releases, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is investing 350 million won to establish a system to respond to fires caused by these filth balloons.

On the afternoon of the 11th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held an emergency countermeasure meeting to address potential fires caused by the fall of filth balloons during the dry autumn season. The meeting was attended by Lee Jin-woo, Commander of the Capital Defense Command, the head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, the Director of the City Garden and Urban Affairs Bureau, the Director of Disaster Safety Office, and the Emergency Planning Officer.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is giving an opening remark at the North Korean trash balloon fire countermeasure meeting held on the 3rd basement floor of the City Hall Chungmu Secret Room on the afternoon of the 11th. Photo by Seoul City

At the meeting, Mayor Oh said, "Recently, the trash balloons dispersed by North Korea have fallen on houses and vehicles, causing property damage and injuries, directly threatening citizens' daily lives beyond just discomfort and anxiety. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been closely communicating with the military, police, and fire departments to take measures to protect citizens' safety. Based on today's discussions, I urge all agencies to concentrate their capabilities and actively respond to fires caused by trash balloons."

North Korea has been increasing the frequency of filth balloon dispersals. Since the first dispersal on May 28, there have been 27 occurrences to date. According to the city, there have been 11 fires caused by filth balloons falling on houses and other locations in the city recently. The fire can start at the site where the balloon falls due to explosives, timers, and other devices attached to the balloon to detonate it.

In response, the city will urgently allocate 350 million won from the disaster fund to actively share information related to filth balloon dispersals with key agencies, establish a constant response system, and build an initial fire suppression system through cooperation with related organizations. The city’s wildfire prevention situation room, which began operating this month, will be linked with the filth balloon initial response team. Fire and disaster drills related to fires and disasters caused by filth balloons will also be conducted by each autonomous district during Civil Defense Day training.

Additionally, the city plans to expand the spraying of eco-friendly wildfire retardants in wildfire-prone areas and conduct public awareness campaigns on wildfire prevention. Instructions on how to act in case of filth balloon incidents will be displayed in subways and on outdoor billboards, and banners will be installed at major hiking trail entrances to inform the public. The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters will strengthen patrols and monitoring of wildfire and fire-prone areas using drones from each fire station.