It never ends with the North and Little Kim. Once again, he starts his games. Always on the minds of the officials in South Korean government as they watch the tantrums which are always coupled with pleas for money.
Recent reports have surfaced indicating that over 1,500 balloons carrying refuse have been launched from North Korea into South Korea since May. This act appears to be a response to propaganda campaigns directed against the North Korean regime by defectors and activists in South Korea. The balloons are said to carry not only trash but also items indicating significant distress within North Korea.
🚨🇰🇷🇰🇵While the western countries use drones to destroy buildings and kill enemies.
North Korea uses balloons 🎈 🎈 to intimidated South Korean.
This warfare is new and strange. It’s hard for South Koreans to understand the true intentions of such action.
Only time will… pic.twitter.com/LnJOlueB2y
— Xnews_with_Grok (@Xnews_with_grok) June 24, 2024
The contents of these balloon payloads have raised health and environmental concerns. Soil samples from the balloons have tested positive for various parasites, including roundworms, whipworms, and threadworms. Despite the potential health risks, South Korean authorities have assured the public that the risk of infection is minimal. These findings also suggest the use of human waste as fertilizer in North Korea, highlighting poor agricultural practices likely due to economic constraints.
Moreover, the balloons contained damaged and defaced clothing, much of which originated from donations in South Korea. Among the items were clothes featuring popular Western cartoon characters that had been visibly altered or destroyed. This act of sending defaced cultural icons back to South Korea seems to underscore the tensions between the two nations.
Hello Kitty, parasites: inside North Korea trash balloons according to South https://t.co/dsWigmcy8n pic.twitter.com/DYHK1ZzPP0
— Reuters Asia (@ReutersAsia) June 24, 2024
The ongoing exchanges have escalated recently, with South Korea responding not just with its own balloons carrying food, medicine, and anti-North propaganda, but also through broadcasts of pop music and news across the border using powerful loudspeakers. This exchange highlights the intensifying propaganda war between the two Koreas.
South Korean military officials have cautioned the public against handling these balloons, describing them as carriers of “filthy waste.” The recent increase in balloon activities began in May when numerous such payloads were reported to have landed in South Korea, leading to advisories for residents to remain indoors.
Bloomberg: Parasites associated with fecal matter have been found in the trash-laden balloons North Korea has floated into South Korea, along with clothing such as underwear, neckties and socks, authorities in Seoul said.https://t.co/62d1jPkdKI
— Vincent Lee (@Rover829) June 24, 2024
Major Points
- Over 1,500 balloons filled with trash and propaganda items have been sent from North Korea to South Korea since May, in retaliation for South Korean leaflet campaigns.
- The balloons contained harmful parasites such as roundworms and whipworms in the soil, attributed to the use of human waste as fertilizer in North Korea.
- Among the items carried by the balloons were damaged and defaced Western clothing, including clothes with popular cartoon characters, highlighting cultural and economic strife.
- South Korean authorities have urged the public to avoid contact with the balloons, labeling them as carriers of “filthy waste.”
- The incident has intensified the propaganda war between the two Koreas, with both sides engaging in cross-border psychological operations.
D. L Jenkins – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
