N. Korea sends 90 trash-filled balloons to S. Korea: Seoul Military

North Korea began sending balloons around 8 p.m., each carrying trash like cigarette butts, paper, and plastic bags, according to the JCS

Seoul: North Korea has sent around 90 balloons carrying trash to South Korea, Seoul’s military said, after it launched hundreds of similar balloons across the inter-Korean border earlier this week.

As of 11 p.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Saturday that it had detected around 90 balloons that floated across the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas and fell in Seoul and Gyeonggi province, Yonhap news agency reported.

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North Korea appears to have started sending the balloons at around 8 p.m., with the fallen balloons carrying various pieces of trash, such as cigarette butts, paper and plastic bags, according to the JCS.

North Korea sent around 260 balloons carrying trash and excrement to South Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday after it warned of “tit-for-tat action” against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by South Korea’s activists.

The JCS advised people not to touch the objects and report them to nearby military or police authorities and cautioned of possible damage from the balloons.

The Seoul city government also issued an emergency alert for safety, saying that unidentified objects presumed to be North Korea’s balloons were detected over the sky near Seoul.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said on Wednesday that the balloons were “sincere presents” for South Koreans who are crying for the guarantee of freedom of expression.

She added that her country will send rubbish “dozens of times” more than those being scattered in North Korea.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry warned on Friday that it will take “unendurably” painful measures against North Korea if it continues to stage “irrational” provocative acts.

The government may consider staging psychological warfare against North Korea, including military authorities’ resumption of loudspeaker broadcasting along the border or the sending of leaflets critical of North Korea’s regime.

North Korea intensified its provocations this week following the botched attempt to launch a spy satellite on Monday.

The country staged GPS jamming attacks in waters near South Korea‘s northwestern border islands for the fourth straight day on Saturday.

North Korea also fired a barrage of artillery from super-large multiple rocket launchers toward the East Sea on Thursday in a drill that it said was to demonstrate a resolve to conduct a preemptive strike against South Korea.