North Korea launches trash balloons towards South Korea for fifth day

Seoul, Sep 8 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) North Korea sent more trash balloons toward South Korea on Sunday, the South’s military said, in what marked the fifth straight day of such launches. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North resumed its balloon campaign at around 9 a.m., just hours after it floated some 200 balloons late Saturday, Yonhap news agency reported. “Considering the safety of our people as the top priority, the military will resolutely and calmly respond by the manual,” the JCS said. In response to the balloon launches, the South’s military has been blasting daily anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers on the border since July 21. It has refrained from directly shooting down the balloons, citing safety concerns. The JCS said North Korea launched approximately 120 balloons over three hours starting at 9 a.m. Around 40 bundles were confirmed to have landed in areas of Seoul and northern Gyeonggi Province. The contents of the balloons were identified as paper, plastic and bottles, with no harmful substances detected, according to military assessments. Since late May, the North has launched thousands of balloons carrying trash in retaliation against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea. Sunday’s launch marked the 17th round of balloon launches since late May. —