SEOUL — North Korea has sent more than 150 balloons carrying trash across the inter-Korean border, Seoul's military said on Wednesday, after the North warned of "tit-for-tat action" against anti-Pyongyang leaflets flown by the South's activists.
Since Tuesday night, the balloons have crossed the border to fall in various locations across the country, reaching as far as the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang and scattering waste as they fell to the ground, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The fallen balloons appeared to have carried various pieces of trash, such as plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and even manure, a JCS official said, with military officials collecting the objects for a detailed analysis, Yonhap news agency reported.
"These acts by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten our people's safety," the JCS said. "(We) sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and vulgar act."
On Sunday, North Korea said it would scatter "mounds of wastepaper and filth" over the border areas in a "tit-for-tat action" against the distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
The JCS advised residents in the areas not to touch the objects and to report to nearby military or police authorities if they discover them while warning the balloons could cause damage as they fall, noting damage to a vehicle and the roof of a house in 2016 due to such balloons sent by the North.
It said that it would come up with safety measures by working with the police and the government, noting that it is closely cooperating with the US-led UN Command in charge of overseeing activities in the Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas.
For years, North Korean defectors in South Korea and conservative activists have flown leaflets to the North via balloons to help encourage North Koreans to eventually rise up against the Pyongyang regime.
North Korea has bristled at the propaganda campaign amid concern that an influx of outside information could pose a threat to its leader, Kim Jong-un.
North Korea has repeatedly called for an end to the leafleting campaign. The issue has long been a source of tension between the two Koreas, which are still technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.