North Korea is accused of carrying out an attack using floating excrement balloons

The South Korean military on Wednesday accused North Korea of ​​sending balloons loaded with garbage and dung across the border and called on Pyongyang to immediately stop its “inhumane and vulgar” operation.

Since the operation began on Tuesday evening, more than 260 balloons have been discovered in South Korea, the South Korean General Staff said. Pictures released by the military appear to show plastic bags carrying the balloons. According to Reuters, one of them had the word “excrement” written on it.

A JCS official told Seoul-based Yonhap news agency that the balloons – all of which fell to the ground – had garbage on board, including shoe scraps, plastic bottles and manure.

So far, no damage or injuries have been reported in connection with the balloons, but the military has deployed bomb disposal units and other experts to collect them. Local residents have been warned not to touch the objects.

“These actions by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the security of our people,” the JCS said, adding a stern warning to “North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and vulgar acts.”

The first balloons arrived a few days after Kim Kang Il, North Korea’s deputy defense minister, issued a harsh condemnation of propaganda leaflets criticizing the regime in Pyongyang. North Korean defectors in the South had been attaching these leaflets to balloons and sending them north for years.

On Sunday, the minister accused Seoul of conducting “despicable psychological warfare” by “scattering leaflets and other dirty things near the border areas” and announced “tit for tat” actions in return.

“Mountains of waste paper and dirt will soon be scattered across the border areas and inland South Korea, and the effort needed to clear them will be felt first hand,” he said.