The balloons, which were found across South Korea, carried toilet paper, batteries and suspected poo.

North Korea has dropped at least 260 balloons carrying rubbish in the South, prompting authorities to warn its residents to stay indoors.

South Korea’s military also cautioned the public against touching the white balloons and the plastic bags attached to them because they contain “filthy waste and trash”.

The balloons have been found in eight of nine provinces in South Korea and are now being analysed.

  • naturalgasbad@lemmy.caEnglish
    391·
    5 months ago

    Is this supposed to be a response to the propaganda leaflets that got dropped on North Korea?

    I wasn’t aware that had happened recently, but I know it was a thing in the past.

    • HubertManne@kbin.social
      132·
      5 months ago

      I remember one big thing was thumb drives with south korean tv shows which the people really want and the government really does not want them to have. It seems north koreans will watch the shows even though its extremely risky for them to do so.

      • Jumuta@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        42·
        5 months ago

        normal North Koreans have access to private computers that can read thumb drives??

        • HubertManne@kbin.social
          2·
          5 months ago

          im not sure you need a computer per se. some tvs can list media from a drive and you can click to play it. still I would be surprised the average even has that from what I see. Would not be surprised if the priveleged are taking the risk and they have more to lose.

  • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    283·
    5 months ago

    I’m pretty sure South Korea produces orders of magnitude more waste than North on account of them having an economy so I’d be careful starting this kind of game.

  • Canary9341@lemmy.mlEnglish
    212·
    5 months ago

    “Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them,” North Korea’s vice-minister of defence Kim Kang Il said

    They are truly diabolical. It is an unprecedented escalation, I think they are one step away from total war.

      • Canary9341@lemmy.mlEnglish
        81·
        5 months ago

        Sorry if I’m being rude, but in a context where threats of destruction and announcements of new missiles are the norm, suddenly throwing garbage bags into your neighbor’s yard and saying “will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them” strikes me as too funny! Like a parody of a B-series villain.

        • pooberbee (any)@lemmy.mlEnglish
          8·
          5 months ago

          Not rude. Per the article, this is North Korea’s response to groups in South Korea sending balloons with propaganda leaflets and stuff (unsolicited care packages, basically) north. It seems they feel the south isn’t doing enough to prevent these.

          It seems more childish than diabolical, but I would do the same probably as a last resort. Like throwing somebody’s McDonald’s bag back into their car.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldMEnglish
      111·
      5 months ago

      Sure. This is a Bugs Bunny cartoon. South drops leaflets, North drops trash…

      Nukes flying!

  • DaddleDew@lemmy.worldEnglish
    18·
    5 months ago

    South Korea has been sending thumb drives containing KPop music across the border on a similar fashion.

    Now North Korea sends back bundles of excrement.

    I guess it is one way of expressing what they think of KPop…

  • BradleyUffner@lemmy.worldEnglish
    143·
    5 months ago

    Is this an attempt to obscure a real spy balloon? Send over so many trash filled ones that they start ignoring the real deal when it flies overhead?