It has been confirmed that North Korea launched over 300 trash balloons toward South Korea on the night of June 9.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on June 10, South Korea’s military identified about 310 North Korean trash balloons from 9:40 PM. on June 9 to 8:30 AM on June 10. The military believes that North Korea is not currently floating any additional balloons. Inside the North Korean balloons were trash such as paper and plastic. Based on the analysis, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported no hazardous materials were found.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced around 9:40 PM on June 9 that “North Korea has resumed sending balloons (presumed to be trash balloons) towards the south” and to “Please be cautious of falling payloads. If you find any fallen balloons, do not touch them and report to the nearest military unit or police.”
North Korea sent about 1,300 garbage balloons to its southern counterpart on May 28-29, June 1-2, and June 8-9, claiming that it was a countermeasure to the leaflet distribution by defector groups in South Korea. In response, South Korea’s government resumed loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea in the frontline areas for the first time in six years on June 9, and North Korea launched the fourth round of trash balloons on June 10.
Kim Yo Jong, the Deputy Director of the Workers’ Party of North Korea, claimed in a statement released immediately after the fourth round of trash balloon distribution that they would take “new measures” if the South continues leaflet distribution and loudspeaker broadcasts towards the North.