Authorities found a suspected balloon inside the Yongsan U.S. military base in South Korea, following the discovery of several balloons carrying trash believed to have been sent by North Korea within South Korea’s presidential office compound.
South Korean police and fire authorities received a report at 7:32 a.m. today about “something resembling a pile of trash” discovered at the Yongsan U.S. military base in Yongsan-dong 2-ga.
In response to the report, South Korean police entered the base under the guidance of U.S. military police to verify the situation.
At 7:00 a.m., authorities received reports of four objects, suspected to be balloons, in Itaewon-dong, prompting a response from both the military and police.
According to police reports, the plastic bags contained various types of trash, including ice cream wrappers.
Meanwhile, multiple balloons sent from North Korea were found within the South Korean presidential office grounds that morning. The South Korean presidential office has taken steps to verify their contents.
Earlier that day, North Korea resumed its 10th balloon provocation by launching trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea.
An official from South Korea’s presidential security service has confirmed, “We have successfully collected the fallen balloons,” adding, “The chemical and biological response team has assessed and confirmed that there is no danger.” The official also mentioned, “We are monitoring balloons in transit.”
In June, North Korean balloons were discovered at various locations, including the National Museum of Korea, the Yongsan District Office, and shops near Itaewon Station.