N. Korea sends more trash-carrying balloons to S. Korea
North Korea flew more trash-filled balloons toward South Korea on Sunday after the South resumed propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in response to the North's repeated sending of balloons, as tensions are growing in the border regions dividing the two Koreas, Yonhap reports.
North Korea launched what appeared to be another set of rubbish-carrying balloons late Sunday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a message to reporters. Further details, such as the number of floated balloons, were not immediately available.
The JCS advised people not to touch the objects and to report them to nearby military or police authorities, warning of possible harm from the balloons.
The latest launch came hours after the South's military said it restarted loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North in retaliation against Pyongyang's sending of waste balloons across the border since late last month.
The presidential National Security Council approved the measure at an emergency meeting earlier in the day.
As of 10 a.m. Sunday, the JCS said the North had flown some 330 such balloons toward the South since Saturday, with more than 80 of them landing inside South Korea and the rest apparently failing to reach the country.
The balloons appeared to be carrying trash, such as scraps of paper and plastic, the JCS said, noting that it was preparing for the possibility of the North launching additional balloons.