North Korean trash balloon lands near South Korean president’s office

Seoul says it did not intercept latest tranche of balloons coming over the border because their contents were unknown

A trash-filled balloon sent by North Korea fell inside the compound of South Korea’s presidential office, marking the most serious escalation yet in the “balloon war” between the neighbours.

The Presidential Security Service said they monitored the latest batch of balloons from the North in real time as they flew towards Seoul but didn’t intercept them midair since their contents were unknown and could have scattered.

It’s not known if president Yoon Suk Yeol was inside the compound when the balloon landed.

“An investigation by the chemical, biological and radiological response team showed the objects didn’t present a danger or contamination, so they were retrieved,” Yonhap news agency quoted the security service as saying. “We are continuing to monitor in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

File: A balloon presumably sent by North Korea, is seen in a paddy field in Incheon, South Korea, on 10 June 2024 (Yonhap)

“It is difficult to handle midair because we do not know what the balloons may contain,” a presidential official said. “There will be no change in our policy of collecting them after they have fallen.”

It’s not known if the North uses timers or other technology to drop the balloons in strategic places such as the president’s office. If that is the case, then it would invite a strong reaction from the South.

File: A plastic bag carrying various objects including what appeared to be trash that crossed inter-Korean border with a balloon believed to have been sent by North Korea (via REUTERS)

The North has sent across nearly 2,000 balloons in 10 tranches filled with wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure since May, causing alarm at airports and in residential areas.

Pyongyang has justified the campaign as retaliation for South Korea sending propaganda leaflets the other way.

Seoul, in turn, has restarted propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers near the border, including K-pop songs that are banned in the North.

The presidential complex is situated in the central Yongsan area of Seoul, 56km from the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. It has been the president’s office since 2022.

File: South Korean soldiers check a balloon carrying garbage, presumably sent by North Korea (EPA)

Seoul last week warned that the North would pay a “fatal price” after Pyongyang sent a new wave of balloons across the border.

“The North Korean military’s tension-escalating acts in frontline areas may lead it to pay a fatal price and we sternly warn that all responsibility for this situation lies with the North Korean regime,” said the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.