Kim Jong Un's North Korea Sent Nearly 500 Trash Balloons To South Korea In Last 24 Hours, Disrupting Flights And Causing Rooftop Fire

In a recent development, North Korea has reportedly launched approximately 500 trash-filled balloons into South Korean airspace, causing flight disruptions and a rooftop fire within the last 24 hours.

What Happened: These balloons are part of an ongoing propaganda campaign by North Korea against defectors and activists in South Korea, Reuters reported on Thursday. These individuals often send balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets, medicine, money, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop videos and dramas to North Korea.

Seoul’s Gimpo Airport had to suspend take-offs and landings for two hours on Wednesday evening due to a suspected balloon, as confirmed by an official at the Korea Airports Corporation. South Korea’s main international airport, Incheon, has also experienced several disruptions in recent weeks due to these balloons.

South Korea’s military revealed that some of these trash balloons were equipped with timed poppers that could potentially cause fires.

“A timer is attached to the trash balloons, which has the effect of popping the balloons and spreading the trash after a certain period of time has passed,” said Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In Gyeonggi, a province near Seoul, a balloon ignited a fire on a residential building’s rooftop, which was subsequently extinguished by firefighters, according to an official at the Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters.

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Why It Matters: Since late May, North Korea has been launching trash-filled balloons into South Korea, in retaliation to South Korean activists sending political leaflets via balloons.

On Wednesday, North Korean balloons were found near the heavily guarded presidential office in Seoul, raising security concerns. This comes after warnings from Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, about South Korea's "dirty play" in the leafleting campaign. In response, South Korea has resumed its anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts.

Read Next:

• Kim Jong Un Rejects Donald Trump’s Friendship Claims? North Korea Says ‘We Do Not Care,’ Expresses Nuclear Readiness Amid Rising Tension With US

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari