North sends fresh trash balloons to South Korea

By Anadolu staff

North Korea on Monday sent fresh balloons carrying trash toward South Korea, the country's military claimed.

The South Korean joint chiefs of staff said that an unspecified number of balloons flown by the North appeared to be traveling in a southeastern direction from the northern part of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul, Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.

This was the fifth balloons launch since last month.

The military also advised local people to avoid touching the fallen balloons and report to authorities whenever they land in their areas.

According to local media, North Korea sent over 1,000 trash-carrying balloons during the last few days to South Korea in response to South Korean activists' leaflet campaign.

The country's Unification Ministry said that the balloons were filled with trash and no harmful substances were found by the authorities.

"Numerous parasites, such as roundworms, whipworms and threadworms, were found in the soil contained in the trash," the agency quoted the ministry as saying.

Cloths, neckties and blue jackets were also recovered from the balloons, it said.

Cross-border tensions between two neighbors continues, with both sides resorting to propaganda tactics, including the use of loudspeakers.

Earlier this month, South Korea claimed that Pyongyang resumed air-dropping trash, with more than 300 balloons crossing the border overnight after Seoul resumed propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers after six years.

Pyongyang has described its move as a "tit-for-tat" response to anti-regime leaflets flown into North Korea from South Korea.

Earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong also warned that Pyongyang will use "new responses" to Seoul's leaflets and loudspeaker broadcasts.

She described Seoul's actions as a "prelude to a very dangerous situation."

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid