North Korea has launched an unusual offensive against its southern neighbor, sending more than 200 balloons filled with trash, animal feces, and propaganda leaflets across the heavily fortified border. The barrage, which South Korea's military reported on Wednesday, marks the largest such incident since similar provocations between 2016 and 2018.
The balloons were detected primarily in the border provinces of Gyeonggi and Gangwon, but some managed to drift as far south as South Gyeongsang. In response, South Korea issued an emergency disaster alert, urging citizens to avoid the objects and report sightings to the military. Response teams confirmed the presence of fertilizers among the contents, although no human waste was found, a stark contrast to a similar incident in 2016 when North Korea sent human feces via balloon.
Photographs released by the South Korean military showed the balloons attached to plastic bags brimming with garbage. One image notably displayed a bag labeled "excrement." The latest escalation comes less than a week after North Korea concluded two days of war games, which it described as retaliation for South Korean President Lai Ching-te's inauguration speech. In the speech, Lai stated that Taiwan and China are "not subordinate to each other," a declaration Beijing interpreted as a claim of Taiwanese independence.
North Korea's renewed balloon offensive is seen as part of a broader strategy of psychological warfare. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, labeled the balloons "gifts of sincerity" for South Koreans who advocate for freedom of expression. In a statement via state media, she accused Seoul of hypocrisy for criticizing the North's actions while defending its own citizens' right to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets. Kim pledged to send even more balloons in response to South Korea's ongoing propaganda campaign, which includes balloons carrying food, medicine, money, and USB drives loaded with South Korean media content.
Angry Rocket Man of NK bombed Popiah Kimchi of S/K with hundreds of "dung
balloons" contained a variety of debris but not limited to feces, smelly shoes, rotten plastic bottles and waste batteries ect.. pic.twitter.com/k7TVRDYvzD — Jeffery Ng (@JefferyNg13) May 29, 2024
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff condemned the act, stating, "These acts by North Korea violate international law and threaten our people's safety." The South Korean military's explosives ordnance unit and chemical and biological warfare response team were dispatched to manage the situation, and authorities issued warnings for residents to steer clear of the debris.
The latest developments underscore the volatile nature of inter-Korean relations. The situation has been exacerbated by North Korea's disruption of GPS frequencies along the de facto sea border, an act the South Korean defense ministry described as another form of provocation. "These actions by North Korea are inhumane and vulgar," the ministry added, calling for an immediate cessation of such behavior.
In early May, North Korean defector and human rights activist Park Sang-hak sent 20 balloons carrying 300,000 leaflets denouncing Kim Jong Un, along with USB drives containing South Korean pop culture and U.S. dollar bills. Park stated that his aim was to inform North Koreans about the true nature of Kim's regime and the contrasting freedoms enjoyed in South Korea. "They must know that Kim Jong Un is telling lies when he labels South Koreans as America's slaves," Park told NBC News.
The North's aggressive response and the South's retaliatory actions highlight the escalating tension between the two nations. Analysts warn that while these "grey zone" tactics are less risky than direct military confrontation, they still pose significant threats to civilian safety and stability in the region. "These kinds of tactics are more difficult to counter and hold less risk of uncontrollable military escalation, even if they're horrid for the civilians who are ultimately targeted," said Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute.
Despite the provocations, South Korea's government remains committed to a measured response. An official at Seoul's presidential office suggested that North Korea might be testing the South's reaction to these unconventional threats. "They seem to want to test how our people would react and whether our government is indeed disrupted," the official told reporters.
