Flying Trash Balloons! - Increasing of Danger of Conflict -

 written by 20715 Yoon Dawon

North Korea has sent trash balloons, each one almost 8 meters in length and weighing 10 kilograms, from May 28 to now nearly 15 times. There were at least 1,100 balloons that they tried to drop, among them, about 400 balloons were dropped in South Korea.

The trash balloons landed near terminals and the runways of Incheon International Airport. The Incheon International Airport control tower was worried that the planes could suck the trash balloons in their engines. So, Incheon Airport decided to halt take-offs and landings located near the trash balloons.

The trash balloons even threatened citizens. Not only citizens living near the North Korean border but citizens as far away as southern Gyeonggi-do also suffered damages.

On June 2, in Ansan, a car that was parked in a parking spot was broken by the trash balloons.

On the same day, in Anyang, citizens had trouble walking because dropped trash balloons covered the streets, making people scared.

Some citizens were scared because they didn’t know what was in the balloons. Others were relieved that they were filled with trash, but they still felt uneasy because what if the contents were more dangerous in substance?

Against this threat to the safety of its citizens, South Korea had its armies play South Korean anti-Pyongyang messages directed at North Korea, such as K-pop, radio, etc. These broadcasts worked well and can even be heard in Gaeseong, which is located 12 kilometers away from the anti-Pyongyang message.

The national and local governments sent emergency text messages to be careful of dropped trash balloons and to say immediately if you see the trash balloons.

Why did North Korea start to send the trash balloons?

According to South Korea’s Minister of Unification, the biggest reason is that North Korea has been trying to respond to leaflets sent by North Korean defectors organizations located in South Korea. These leaflets make North Koreans doubt their country and shake trust between them and the government.

Two potential solutions to this problem are:

One is that we have to respond in a stronger way, such as stopping all aid (like food, medicine or clothes) to North Korea. The other is that we just have to block North Korean defectors’ organizations from sending leaflets, then we can continue a good relationship.