NORTH Korea sent a wave of 260 “filthy” faeces-filled balloons to South Korea in a strange intimidation move.
The white balloons were also stuffed with rubbish and toilet paper in an act that Seoul’s military dubbed “inhumane and low class”.
9
9
9
9
Surreal footage shows the enormous, semi-transparent balloons landing in residential areas, parks, gardens and forests.
Some of them were sent in pairs with plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and other trash tied to them in bags.
Local media shares images of what looked like poo inside the garbage bags – as civilians were warned not to leave their homes.
They were also warned not to touch the balloons and to report them to army or police.
READ MORE WORLD NEWS
North Korea first began sending them on Tuesday evening, as a response to anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
South Korean activists had sent their own pamphlets out via balloons along border areas between the two states.
Over the weekend the dictatorship warned Seoul it would shower the same areas with “mounds of wastepaper and filth” to punish them.
Citizens should refrain from outdoor activities, do not come into contact with any unknown objects
South Korea officials
South Korea’s military were investigating today whether the balloons contained propaganda leaflets.
Most read in The Sun
They were found in eight out of nine provinces in the South and sent off for analysis.
9
9
9
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that “unidentified objects believed to be North Korean propaganda leaflets have been identified in the Gyeonggi-Gangwon border area and the military is taking action”.
It urged: “Citizens should refrain from outdoor activities, do not come into contact with any unknown objects, and report them to the nearest military base or police.”
And it went on to slam North Korea’s “inhumane and low-class actions”, saying the move “clearly violate international laws and seriously threatens the safety of our people”.
Late Tuesday night, the Gyeonggi province sent out a text message alert to residents saying: “Refrain from outdoor activities and report (objects from North Korea) to military bases when identified.”
The North Korean regime has long been enraged by campaigns from the South before that involve balloons carrying anti-Kim Jong Un leaflets.
On Sunday, defence official Kim Kang II threatened: “Tit-for-tat action will be also taken against frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish by the ROK near border areas.”
“Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them.”
The border between North and South Korea is a heavily fortified divide – with the two states technically at war.
Both have used balloons in their own campaigns since the Korean war in the 1950s.
The North has sent propaganda balloons across the border before, but this time their method was different, Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute told AFP.
He said: “Bags filled with toilet paper, trash and Chinese batteries were found.
“Also from witness statements that there was a ‘distinctive smell’ from the bag, it is likely they sent faeces, probably animal faeces, as well.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“It’s a stern message to South Korea that like the South, North Korea can send propaganda as well, and they should immediately stop doing it.”
Cheong said the border would be “strongly controlled after this”.
North Korea v South Korea: Rising Tensions
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
RELATIONS between North and South Korea are high just days after one of Kim Jong-Un’s rockets exploded midair.
It launched a spy satellite aboard a new rocket from its main space centre, but it blew up soon after liftoff.
Seoul was conducting drills with its fighter jets just hours ahead of the launch in protest.
In November, dictator Kim said the country was entering a “new era of space power” following the successful launch of its first spy satellite.
Despite international attempts to dampen North Korea’s testing – the regime has remained hellbent on showboating its new tech.
In September, Russia even pledged to help Pyongyang build satellites.
9
9
Source: Sun
