US, South Korean defense chiefs flay North Korea's launch of trash-carrying balloons

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – The US and South Korea on Sunday condemned North Korea for its launches of trash-carrying balloons and a military spy satellite, vowing a firm response to the latest “provocations.”

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the Seoul-based Yonhap News reported, citing a statement from the Defense Ministry in Seoul.

The two defense chiefs made it clear that North Korea's "provocations" and missile and nuclear development, alongside its “deepening military ties with Russia,” heighten tensions not only on the Korean Peninsula but in the Indo-Pacific region, the ministry said.

They vowed a "stern" response, it added.

Shin was quoted as emphasizing that Pyongyang's launch of trash-carrying balloons is a "grave" violation of the Armistice Agreement and pledged support for an ongoing investigation into the case by the UN Command.

North Korea has floated some 900 balloons carrying manure and trash across the border since Tuesday, following its botched attempt to launch a spy satellite Monday.

Pyongyang also fired a barrage of artillery from super-large multiple rocket launchers toward the East Sea on Thursday in a drill intended to demonstrate its readiness to launch a preemptive strike against South Korea.