A balloon filled with trash sent by North Korea landed on the presidential compound in Seoul, scattering leaflets that criticised South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee, according to South Korean authorities. The presidential security service in South Korea reported that one of the balloons released by North Korea burst over the presidential compound, releasing rubbish that included leaflets with explicit messages. These leaflets accused the Yoon government of causing despair among South Koreans and labelled the first couple as immoral and mentally unstable.
This incident occurred shortly after North Korea had declared South Korea a “hostile state,” further escalating tensions in East Asia. Propaganda leaflets from North Korea were also discovered scattered on the streets of Seoul. The two Koreas have been engaged in a war of words following North Korea’s allegations that South Korea had flown drones over its capital to distribute propaganda leaflets earlier in the month. South Korea had also requested that North Korea withdraw troops reportedly sent to Russia to aid Moscow’s military efforts in Ukraine, amid concerns of potential nuclear cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
The security service in South Korea mentioned that the leaflets were found in Yongsan, where the presidential office is situated, revealing that North Korea had begun using GPS technology to more accurately drop balloons. Since May, North Korea has been sending balloons carrying leaflets and waste into South Korea as a form of retaliation against South Korea’s own distribution of propaganda leaflets. The ongoing tensions led North Korea to demolish its portion of the inter-Korea road recently, signalling a breakdown in previous cooperation and peace gestures between the two countries.
Despite North Korea’s consistent sending of balloons towards South Korea, experts in South Korea have stated that Pyongyang lacks the technology to target specific locations with precision. Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, explained that regardless of GPS technology, the success of such balloon drops depends on launching them in large numbers and adjusting altitude based on wind patterns to ensure they reach their intended destinations. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war since the Korean War ended with an armistice in the 1950s, without a formal peace treaty being signed.