
Trash-filled balloons from N. Korea reach S. Korean president’s offices
By Ryan Robertson (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)
For the ninth time since May, North Korea sent a round of trash-filled balloons to South Korea. However, for the first time, the balloons landed in South Korea’s presidential compound, violating a no-fly zone protecting the president on Wednesday, July 24.
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The latest action by Pyongyang is raising even greater security concerns for the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The breach into the president’s offices in Seoul prompted the country’s security service to dispatch its “chemical, biological and radiological team” to pick up the balloons.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korea’s actions “clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our citizens.”
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Although South Korean government officials said that none of the trash contained hazardous materials, they explained that the objects were not shot down in order to prevent the spread of the contents within the balloons. South Korean residents are routinely warned not to touch fallen balloons and to report them to law enforcement. The contents of the balloons have varied from soil filled with human feces and manure, to wastepaper and cigarettes.
North Korea has sent thousands of waste-filled balloons in retaliation for South Korean activists and North Korean defectors sending over anti-Pyongyang leaflets and the South Korean government blasting K-Pop recordings along a demilitarized zone between the nations.
A previous batch of balloons on Thursday, July 18, prompted Seoul to blast K-Pop on its loudspeakers near the border for 10 hours on Friday, July 19. K-Pop and K-Drama are banned by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
TENSIONS ARE TICKING UP AS NORTH KOREA CONTINUES TO PLAY DIRTY GAMES WITH SOUTH KOREA
THE LATEST DEED IS RAISING EVEN GREATER SECURITY CONCERNS FOR THE SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT.
FOR THE NINTH TIME–PYONGYANG SENT OVER A ROUND OF TRASH-FILLED BALLOONS
BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME– THEY LANDED IN SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENTIAL COMPOUND, VIOLATING A NO-FLY ZONE PROTECTING THE PRESIDENT.
THE BREACH INTO THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICES IN SEOUL PROMPTED THE COUNTRY’S SECURITY SERVICE TO DISPATCH ITS “CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL TEAM” TO PICK UP THE BALLOONS.
SOUTH KOREA’S JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF SAID THE NORTH’S ACTIONS “CLEARLY VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW AND SERIOUSLY THREATEN THE SAFETY OF OUR CITIZENS.”
THOUGH OFFICIALS SAY NONE OF THE TRASH CONTAINED HAZARDOUS MATERIAL.
THEY EXPLAINED THE OBJECTS WERE NOT SHOT DOWN IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE CONTENTS WITHIN THE BALLOONS.
RESIDENTS ARE ROUTINELY WARNED NOT TO TOUCH FALLEN BALLOONS AND REPORT THEM TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THE CONTENTS OF THE BALLOONS VARIES– FROM SOIL FILLED WITH HUMAN FECES AND MANURE, TO WASTEPAPER AND CIGARETTES.
NORTH KOREA SENT OVER THOUSANDS OF WASTE-FILLED BALLOONS SINCE MAY IN RETALIATION FOR SOUTH KOREAN ACTIVISTS SENDING OVER ANTI-PYONGYANG LEAFLETS AND THE SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT BLASTING K-POP RECORDINGS ALONG THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE BETWEEN THE NATIONS
A PREVIOUS BATCH OF BALLOONS FROM NORTH KOREA – PROMPTED SEOUL TO BLAST K-POP ON ITS LOUDSPEAKERS NEAR THE BORDER FOR 10 HOURS.
K-POP AND K-DRAMA ARE BANNED BY DICTATOR KIM JONG UN IN NORTH KOREA.
FOR MORE STORIES ON ESCALATING TENSIONS BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP AND VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT SAN-DOT-COM.
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