Little Kim is at it again. Like a child that needs attention…
South Korea announced on Sunday that it is preparing to take “unbearable” retaliatory actions against North Korea in response to a series of aggressive behaviors, including the launch of trash-filled balloons across their shared border. This escalation of hostilities comes after a week in which North Korea not only sent these balloons but also conducted simulated nuclear strikes and allegedly disrupted GPS navigation systems in the South.
North Korea sent about 600 more trash balloons into South Korea on late Saturday night. South Korea’s defence minister Shin Won-sik called it “unimaginably petty and low-grade behaviour”. https://t.co/BctklsOX4p pic.twitter.com/fpEPBrR2lK
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 2, 2024
Chang Ho-jin, South Korea’s national security director, expressed during an emergency meeting that the government plans to respond decisively to North Korea’s provocations, which he described as “absurd” and “irrational.” Chang highlighted that these actions were intended to sow anxiety and chaos among the South Korean public.
The specifics of the planned retaliatory measures were not disclosed by South Korean officials. However, it is widely anticipated that South Korea might restart its use of loudspeakers at the border. These loudspeakers traditionally broadcast critiques of North Korea’s human rights record, international news, and K-pop music—a practice known to be particularly irksome to the North Korean regime, which restricts its citizens’ access to foreign media.
#Northkorea 🇰🇵Between Saturday night and Sunday morning, about 600 balloons flown from North Korea have been found in various parts of South Korea. The balloons carried cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste paper and vinyl. -AP #Southkoreapic.twitter.com/B1VCrryM2L
— WORLD AT WAR (@World_At_War_6) June 2, 2024
This announcement followed the discovery by South Korea’s military of over 700 balloons on Sunday, found scattered across different regions. These balloons, launched from North Korea, carried innocuous items such as cigarette butts, cloth scraps, and paper. This event marked the second such instance within the week; previously, about 260 balloons carrying trash and manure were found.
Despite these provocations, there have been no significant damages reported in South Korea. North Korea defends its actions as a counter-response to South Korean activists who have sent balloons loaded with anti-Pyongyang propaganda across the border. Such exchanges have previously provoked strong reactions from North Korea, including the 2020 destruction of an inter-Korean liaison office in response to similar activities.
📌North Korea launched more than 600 balloons filled with garbage and feces towards South Korea.#Breakıng pic.twitter.com/qKmXOwRJm5
— KASİDE (@zakkumec) June 2, 2024
Analysts suggest that North Korea’s recent actions, the first balloon campaign in seven years, aim to deepen internal divisions within South Korea regarding its conservative government’s hardline stance towards the North. They also believe that North Korea may escalate tensions further in the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election in November.
North Korea has also escalated its military activities since 2022, notably increasing its weapons tests and conducting drills that simulate preemptive nuclear strikes on South Korea. These actions underline the ongoing and intense nature of the conflict and rivalry between the two Koreas, highlighting the volatile situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Major Points
- South Korea announced plans for “unbearable” retaliatory measures against North Korea following a series of provocations, including trash-filled balloon launches across their border.
- North Korea’s recent actions also involved simulated nuclear strikes and disruptions of GPS signals in South Korea.
- The specifics of South Korea’s retaliation were not disclosed, but likely measures could include resuming loudspeaker broadcasts of news and K-pop music into North Korea.
- Over 700 balloons carrying harmless waste were found in South Korea last week, marking an escalation in North Korea’s provocative tactics.
- These events are part of a broader pattern of increased military activities by North Korea, including nuclear-capable weapons tests and simulations of attacks on South Korea.
Al Santana – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
