This photo provided by South Korea’s Defense Ministry shows waste from a balloon in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Sunday, July 21, 2024, presumably sent from North Korea. (South Korea Defense Ministry via The Associated Press)
North Korea on Sunday sent a fresh batch of balloons likely carrying garbage toward South Korea, which vowed to broadcast a “large-scale” live broadcast via loudspeakers in response.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the balloons crossed the border Sunday morning and flew north of the South Korean capital, Seoul, the Associated Press reported.
The news agencies added that the army announced that it would expand the broadcast range via loudspeakers in all major sections of the 154-mile-long border between the two Koreas.
“The escalatory actions of the North Korean military may lead to serious consequences for it,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to the Associated Press, adding that “responsibility for this kind of situation lies entirely with the North Korean government.”
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the loudspeaker broadcast was expected to begin at 1 p.m. local time on Sunday. The programs will air Korean pop songs and news stories, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. It has been reported.
The move comes days after South Korea resumed front-line propaganda broadcasts for the first time in 40 days in response to previous balloon launches by North Korea, according to the Associated Press.
North Korea began launching balloons carrying trash in late May, deepening already tense relations with South Korea. The previous launches of trash balloons did not carry hazardous materials, but included cigarette butts, waste paper, vinyl and plastic bags.
South Korea temporarily turned on loudspeakers along the border in early June in response to the first waves of balloon launches.
The Associated Press reported that the initial launches appeared to be in response to a campaign by South Korean activists and North Korean defectors who have launched balloons carrying anti-North Korean leaflets and other material.
The Associated Press added that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, warned last week that South Korean “scum” should be prepared to pay a “heavy and costly price” for leafleting activities.
The loudspeaker blasts previously stopped in 2018 after a rare meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Reuters news agency reported.
The propaganda broadcasts could serve to demoralize North Korean troops and the population on the front lines, while directly countering the North’s attempts to limit access to outside news, experts told The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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