According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea launched over 500 trash balloons toward South Korea, with nearly half of them landing in South Korean territory.
The Joint Chiefs reported that North Korea launched more than 500 trash balloons from around 9 AM to 8 PM yesterday, with over 240 landing in northern Gyeonggi Province and Seoul City. Current analysis shows that most of the balloons’ contents were paper products, and no hazardous materials have been found.
Since late May, North Korea has launched trash balloons on nine occasions in retaliation against leaflets sent by South Korean civic groups targeting the North. The South Korean military initially responded by operating fixed loudspeakers along the western, central, and eastern front lines in rotation. However, starting at 1 PM yesterday, they began simultaneously activating all loudspeakers in the forward areas.
Currently, the South Korean military has a total of 40 loudspeakers directed at North Korea, which includes 24 fixed and 16 mobile units.
The South Korean military intends to continue its loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea until the North ceases its trash balloon attack. The Armed Forces Psychological Operations Command, under the Ministry of National Defense, manages these broadcasts, which feature content from “Voice of Freedom.”
Recently, the broadcasts have included news about a North Korean soldier who attempted to defect but was captured near the People’s Army’s 46th Division in the eastern front area of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
They also reported on an explosion incident during landmine deployment in areas controlled by the 3rd, 15th, 5th, 25th, and 2nd Divisions of the People’s Army, which resulted in multiple casualties.
The broadcasts detailed the defection of North Korean diplomat Ri Il Kyu in Cuba, North Korea’s trash balloon activities, and the realities of the Kim Jong Un regime. They have sent a message to North Korean soldiers working on barren land, laying mines, and constructing tactical roads, urging them to “escape from a hellish life of slavery.”