Toilet paper, animal feces and trash: North Korea sends balloons filled with trash to South Korea

The North's actions "clearly violate international laws and seriously threaten the security of our people", according to the& #39;Joint Staff, which claims that some of the balloons contained apparent waste, which the army was in the process of verifying.

"We call on the North to immediately stop its (…) low-level actions", he added. Late in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the province of Gyeonggi (northwest) sent an alert message calling on its residents to follow these same instructions.

Propaganda balloons

Since the Korean War (1950-1953) ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty, North and South remain technically at war and are separated by a heavily fortified border including the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

South Korean activists sometimes release balloons carrying propaganda leaflets against North Korean power and money intended for people living north of the border.

These shipments have long aroused the ire of Pyongyang, possibly because it fears that an influx of outside information into this tightly controlled society could pose a threat to the government in power. place.

Pyongyang has already sent propaganda balloons across the border, notably in 2016, but the present case is a little different, Cheong told AFP Seong-chang, of the Sejong Institute.

"Distinctive odor"

"Bags filled with toilet paper, trash and Chinese batteries were found", t- He specifies. "Additionally, according to testimonies, given the distinctive odor' that came from the bag, it is likely that they also sent excrement, probably animal excrement", he added.

Balloons filled with trash have landed in South Korea. MAXPPP – ROK JCS/HANDOUT

"This is a message (…) addressed to South Korea: like the South, North Korea can also send propaganda", estimated Mr. Cheong.

On Monday, Pyongyang's launch of a spy satellite failed, but Seoul called the attempt a "provocation" and conducted maneuvers with combat aircraft in the hours following the shooting in protest.

Kim Jong Un called Seoul's response'"reckless", l& #39;North Korean news agency KCNA, estimating that "the current situation requires further strengthening war deterrence by all means and gradually developing the armed forces of (South Korea). Nord) to make it a super-powerful entity of absolute strength.