South Korea announced on Monday that it would take “decisive military action” if any lives are lost due to the wave of trash-laden balloons being sent across the border by North Korea.
Since May, Pyongyang has launched over 5,500 balloons filled with garbage, which have caused flight disruptions, fires, and even struck government buildings in the South.
North Korea claims this tactic is in retaliation for activists in the South sending propaganda-filled balloons into its territory.
Lee Sung-joon, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that Seoul “will take decisive military action if the North’s garbage-filled balloons pose a serious safety threat or cross a certain line.” He clarified that the threshold would be if someone were to be killed by the balloons, though he did not specify what the “decisive” measures would be.
While most balloons have carried waste paper, which poses no significant health risk, recent incidents involving devices that caused fires have raised concerns.
“Our military is actively monitoring North Korea’s military activities and tracking the launch sites of the balloons in real-time,” Lee added.
The warning followed an incident where a balloon launch from the North briefly disrupted flights at Incheon Airport.
In response to the balloon launches in May, Seoul suspended a military agreement with Pyongyang and resumed propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers along the border.
Relations between the two Koreas are at a historic low, with the North recently deploying 250 ballistic missile launchers near its southern border.
Earlier this month, North Korea also released images of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring the site and calling for the expansion of its nuclear capabilities.
Despite being under UN sanctions for its banned weapons programs, North Korea could carry out its seventh nuclear test at any time, according to Shin Won-sik, South Korea’s national security adviser. He suggested that the test could occur before or after the U.S. presidential election in November.
