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After receiving hundreds of these trash-filled balloons, South Korea suspended an agreement that was signed with North Korea back in 2018, which called for the two nations to refrain from engaging in hostile activities along the border. North Korea had already suspended the agreement last year.
North Korean officials said that the balloons were sent as an act of retaliation against defectors and activists in the South who have habitually sent propaganda leaflets, food, and USB sticks loaded with banned movies and K-pop music.
Social media in the South has been awash with pictures of the balloons, with some found in trees, on farms, and even in urban side streets. One particularly irritated civilian found the windshield of their parked car destroyed after a particularly heavy balloon landed on it.
Since then, North Korea has sent approximately 1,000 trash balloons across the heavily armed border that separates them from the South. Once the balloons have reached South Korean airspace, timers have released bags containing an assortment of garbage such as cigarette butts and paper waste.
The South Korean government has urged people to refrain from touching the balloons and to instead report them to the local authorities. This has sparked moderate fear about potential biological or chemical weapons trapped inside the bags.
The bags have also reportedly contained manure and compost, which North Korea has called “gifts of sincerity.” Aside from the manure, South Korean authorities said that the bags have not contained anything hazardous thus far. But the office of the president also mentioned that the South would take actions against what they consider to be “dirty provocations” from North Korea.
The first balloons sent by the North at the end of May 2024 were met with a slew of confusion after the South Korean government mistakenly warned citizens near the border of an imminent “air raid.” This information proved to be false, much to the relief of many living near the North.
The divisions of North and South Korea go back to Japan’s defeat in World War II, when the Korean Peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel into Soviet-occupied North Korea and American-occupied South Korea. This divide has caused major conflicts between the nations for decades.
Amidst the barrage of balloon launches, the North has taken a series of other provocative steps against the South, including the failed launch of a spy satellite and a simulation of “preemptive attacks” using short-range missiles.
In 2022, North Korea claimed that balloons launched from the South had caused a COVID-19 outbreak in their isolated nation. This highly questionable assertion seemed to be an attempt to blame the South for the deterioration of relations between the two countries.
Previously, reports of objects launched from North Korea have been associated with rockets or ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, but recent news has seen the North send balloons as an act of warfare against the South Korean population. Naturally, many have questioned why they have employed this tactic.
While South Korea hasn’t elaborated on what retaliatory actions they will take, officials have considered blasting K-pop music across the border (pictured) as retribution. It is reported that North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, once called K-pop a “vicious cancer.”
In 2020, North Korea blew up a vacant liaison office constructed by South Korea within its territory, reacting angrily to leafleting campaigns conducted by South Korean civilians. This action did nothing to quell the fiery conflict between the two nations.
At the turn of the century, South Korea established the "Sunshine Policy," which aimed to improve relations through economic and humanitarian aid. This period saw some thawing of tensions, including family reunions and joint economic projects.
During the 1990s, the divide between the two Koreas became more prominent, since South Korea was a vibrant democracy thriving on global exports and imports, while North Korea suffered from food shortages and a reliance on totalitarian control to keep its civilians in line.
Not long after, the Korean War broke out in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. The war ended with an armistice three years later, which established the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a buffer zone between the two countries. But this agreement did not truly resolve the conflict.
The democratic South and the communist North have technically remained at war, as the Korean War ended in an armistice rather than an outright peace treaty. While South Korea is a firm ally of the United States, the North is currently developing nuclear technology that is believed to be a violation of United Nations resolutions.
North Korea's increased military coordination and pursuit of nuclear weapons has been a major source of tension since the 2000s. Multiple nuclear tests and missile launches by North Korea have led to international sanctions and increased military readiness in the South.
Launching balloons was also common practice during the Cold War, and the two Koreas continuously sent balloons across the border that were filled with leaflets (such as the North Korean leaflet pictured here) that vilified the opposing governments. Much of the reading material that crossed the border was banned by either nation.
The Cold War era saw numerous skirmishes, infiltrations, and assassination attempts. Both Koreas were heavily influenced by their respective allies, the Soviet Union and China for the North and the United States for the South.
Diplomatic efforts, including summits between North and South Korean leaders, as well as between North Korea and the United States, brought some hope for peace, but substantial progress has been limited.
Despite periods of dialogue, various incidents (like the sinking of the South Korean naval ship Cheonan, pictured), artillery exchanges, cyberattacks, and continued military provocations maintain tension levels high.
The Korean Peninsula remains divided, with occasional provocations from the North, including the trash balloon campaigns, and ongoing military readiness and diplomatic efforts from the South.
Many civilians in South Korea have questioned what military actions would be taken in the future, and most are wary of the answer. One resident living near the South Korean capital of Seoul said, “I lived through the Korean War and other difficulties, and I was worried … What if we have another war?”
While the two Koreas have employed many military tactics against each other over the decades, the balloon rivalry can be traced back to the Cold War, when North and South Korea waged psychological warfare against each other via radio broadcasts that were laden with propaganda.
The rivalry between the two Koreas goes back decades to when two separate governments were established in the Korean Peninsula. The Republic of Korea (South Korea) was established in August 1948, followed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) in September 1948.
The North Korean government has said that they would stop sending balloons across the border as long as the South agrees to refrain from sending anti-North Korean propaganda. A truce is yet to be reached between the two nations.
Sources: (The New York Times) (Reuters) (Associated Press) (CNN)
See also: Bizarre stories from inside North Korea
This effort by Pyongyang to alter its relationship with the South follows a series of provocative incidents from both sides that have strained ties between the two countries, including North Korean missile tests and the launch of hundreds of trash balloons over North Korea's southern border by South Korea.
Why does this conflict seem to have no end in sight? Click through the following gallery to find out.
Why North Korea keeps sending trash balloons to South Korea
A look behind the Korean conflict that never ended
LIFESTYLE Warfare
North and South Korea have had a tumultuous history of conflicts spanning the decades since the Second World War, and divisions between the two countries don’t appear to be dissipating. Recently, North Korea's military announced plans to "permanently close and block the southern border" while reinforcing areas on its side.
This effort by Pyongyang to alter its relationship with the South follows a series of provocative incidents from both sides that have strained ties between the two countries, including North Korean missile tests and the launch of hundreds of trash balloons over North Korea's southern border by South Korea.
Why does this conflict seem to have no end in sight? Click through the following gallery to find out.