North Korea’s garbage balloon campaign has become a threat to the South

Since May 2024, North Korea has intensified its provocation campaign against South Korea by launching thousands of balloons filled with garbage. This tactic, which began as a response to anti-Pyongyang propaganda sent by North Korean defectors and South Korean activists to the North, has escalated to become a serious threat to the security and well-being of citizens in the South. As of September 23, North Korea has launched a total of 5,500 balloons on 22 occasions, causing significant material damage and seriously affecting the South Korean population.

What at first seemed to be a simple annoyance has transformed into an alarming situation. The balloons, loaded with household waste such as paper, plastic bottles and vinyl bags, have also been fitted with self-destruct devices.

Because of these devices, at least 20 fires have been started in various areas of South Korea. These fires have affected mountainous areas, warehouses and factories, causing material damage exceeding 100 million won (approximately US$75,000), not counting the additional cost of mobilizing military and police personnel to collect the remains of the balloons and garbage. .

Balloons, falling from high altitudes, have also caused damage to vehicles and have become a threat to aviation. According to South Korean authorities, more than 100 flights had to be diverted or suspended due to the presence of balloons on air routes, affecting more than 18,000 passengers. This interruption has caused economic losses and great inconvenience among the population of the south.

The incidents have also left several people injured. In July, a cyclist in Seoul was hit by one of these balloons, suffering a bruise to his arm. In another more recent incident in September, a 60-year-old woman was hit in the head by debris from a balloon, causing her to fall and injure her knee. The woman was diagnosed at the hospital with sprains to her neck, back, pelvis and knee, with an estimated recovery time of two weeks.

Local governments turn to emergency funds

Despite the severity of the damage, South Korea does not have specific legislation that allows compensation to the victims of this type of provocations by the North. However, local governments have turned to emergency funds to provide aid to affected people, especially in cases where the damage is greatest.

These emergency measures reflect the growing concern of the South Korean authorities, who recognize that what began as a harmless act is becoming a real and dangerous threat.

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The South Korean military has warned that if North Korea continues to escalate the situation or if serious harm occurs to citizens, military measures will be taken.

So far, the South’s armed forces have responded primarily with anti-North Korean propaganda, broadcast over loudspeakers installed on the border since July 21. However, the South Korean government is currently evaluating a possible military response if the threat continues.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has confirmed that a new wave of more than 150 balloons was launched from North Korea on September 23, marking the 23rd time this tactic has been used since the start of the campaign in May.

Around 60 bales of garbage were found in Seoul and Gyeonggi province, one of the areas most affected by this campaign. Although the balloons did not contain dangerous substances, the destructive potential of the fires and the damage caused by their fall from great heights have generated concern and unrest among residents and local authorities.

The geopolitical context on the Korean Peninsula has remained tense for decades, and provocations by North Korea are a recurring strategy of the regime to show its discontent with South Korean policies and the actions of activists in the south. However, the use of garbage balloons, equipped with destructive devices, represents a new phase in this pressure strategy.

Although the South Korean government has so far refrained from direct retaliation, citing security concerns, the possibility of a more forceful response is on the table if the situation continues to deteriorate.

South Korea has made clear that it will not tolerate further harm to its population, and although the balloons do not pose a conventional military threat, their effects on the country’s daily life and infrastructure are increasingly serious.