North Korea’s Trash Balloons Fly Over South Korea

North Korea launched hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure towards South Korea in a strange act of provocation, leading the South’s military to deploy teams to collect objects and debris across the country.

This balloon campaign coincided with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directing his military scientists to continue developing space-based reconnaissance capabilities following a failed satellite launch. Kim emphasized the importance of these capabilities in countering U.S. and South Korean military activities, as reported by state media on Wednesday.

Kim also issued warnings of “overwhelming actions” against South Korea in response to a fighter jet exercise near the inter-Korean border prior to the failed launch on Monday. He described the South Korean response as a direct military challenge in a speech on Tuesday, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.

In retaliation for South Korean activists flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border, North Korea has been sending balloons filled with trash towards the South since Tuesday night. The South’s military reported discovering around 260 North Korean balloons in various parts of the country by Wednesday afternoon, prompting rapid response teams to recover the objects.

The balloons carried trash and manure, with no human excrement found so far. Civilians were advised not to touch the objects and to report their findings to the military or police. North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il had previously announced plans to scatter waste over border areas in response to the leafletting by South Korean activists.

Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister, later mocked a South Korean military statement criticizing the North’s activities, stating that it was a form of freedom of expression. She warned of responding with even more filth in the future to counter the leaflets flying across the border.

Images released by the South Korean military showed trash strewn across highways and roads, with signs of experimentation to release the trash midair using a timer. No immediate damage was reported from the balloons, although similar activities in 2016 had caused harm to property.

In a speech at the North’s Academy of Defense Sciences following the failed satellite launch, Kim acknowledged the setback and urged greater efforts in spite of the failure. North Korea’s ambition to launch more spy satellites in 2024 suffered a setback with the explosion of the rocket carrying the would-be second military reconnaissance satellite.

Tensions between the Koreas have escalated with frequent weapons demonstrations by North Korea and joint military exercises by South Korea with the U.S. and Japan. North Korea’s pursuit of satellite launches and missile testing has drawn criticism from the international community, with concerns over long-range missile technology tests.

Kim reiterated North Korea’s right to launch satellites and test missiles, emphasizing the importance of spy satellites in monitoring military activities and enhancing the threat posed by nuclear-capable missiles. Plans for a future satellite launch remain unconfirmed, with experts suggesting it could take months.

The mention of a liquid oxygen-petroleum rocket engine indicates North Korea’s efforts to develop more powerful space launch vehicles with larger payloads. External technological assistance, possibly from Russia, might be involved in this transition, according to some South Korean experts.

Kim’s recent engagements with Russia, including a summit with President Vladimir Putin, have underscored their common ground in confronting U.S. pressures. Russia has expressed willingness to assist North Korea in satellite development, pointing to a potential collaboration between the two countries in this area.

The U.S. and South Korea have accused North Korea of supplying military equipment to Russia for its conflict in Ukraine, adding to the complex dynamics of international relations involving the Korean peninsula.