Waste and propaganda are raining down across the Korean peninsula
The South Korean military began noticing “large amounts of balloons” arriving from the North starting Tuesday night, detecting more than 150 as of Wednesday morning, according to the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
Photos released by the JCS show plastic bags carried by two giant balloons, with some broken packages spilling scraps of plastic, sheets of paper, and what appears to be dirt onto roads and sidewalks.
The balloons so far contain “filth and garbage” and are being analyzed by government agencies, said the JCS, adding that the military was cooperating with the United Nations Command.
NBC reports that “response teams were dispatched to identify what exactly was in the balloons, which confirmed the inclusion of fertilizers. South Korea’s defense ministry told NBC News that no human waste was found, but said that North Korea did send human waste via balloon in 2016. North Korea often uses human feces as fertilizer.
The standoff between the two neighbors has been escalating in recent months, with Kim’s actions raising concerns from some analysts that he may even be preparing to take military action. The balloons are said to be retaliation for anti-Kim Jong Un leaflets sent from defector Park Sang-hak in early May.Park Sang-hak’s balloons were also stuffed with USB drives containing South Korean media such as K-pop and K-drama, as well as U.S. dollar bills.
In early May, North Korean defector-turned-human rights activist Park Sang-hak sent 20 balloons carrying 300,000 leaflets condemning North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The balloons were also stuffed with USB drives containing South Korean media such as K-pop and K-drama, as well as U.S. dollar bills.“I wanted to let the North Korean people know that Kim Jong Un is the enemy of Korean people,” Park told NBC News in a phone interview Wednesday.