North Korea launched 90 balloons containing propaganda leaflets and rubbish over two southern border provinces; the local authorities reacted by asking the citizens of that area not to leave their homes. The BBC reports it.
South Korea's military has warned citizens against touching the white balloons and the plastic bags attached to them because they contain waste. The balloons launched in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces are now being examined by the competent authorities. Both North and South Korea have used balloons in their propaganda campaigns since the Korean War in the 1950s.
A few days ago, Pyongyang had announced that it wanted to react against the “frequent dispersion of leaflets and other waste” in the border areas by southern activists. “Heaps of waste paper and dirt will soon be scattered across the border areas and within the Republic of Korea, and we will be able to experience first-hand how much effort is needed to remove them,” North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang said in a statement, quoted by state media.