On January 1, the first day of 2026, hundreds of balloons believed to have been used in Chinese New Year celebrations were discovered in Gangwon Province and the Seoul metropolitan area.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on January 2, approximately 600 balloons, presumed to have drifted from China due to northwesterly winds, were detected in Gangwon Province, Seoul, and Gyeonggi Province.
The JCS explained that no separate heat sources capable of causing explosions were observed on the balloons, and they were determined not to contain any separate payloads or leaflets like North Korea’s trash balloons. It is presumed that balloons released during the New Year celebrations were carried by strong winds to South Korea.
Earlier, on January 1, China held large-scale New Year celebrations in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, releasing tens of thousands of balloons and sky lanterns.