31 Balloon Attacks: North Korea’s Ongoing Strategy of Trash-Laden Agitation

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced on Monday that North Korea is suspected of launching trash-filled balloons targeting South Korea.

Based on current wind patterns, military officials explained that these balloons could potentially drift toward Gyeonggi Province and the Seoul metropolitan area. This marks the first such incident in three weeks, following the last launch on October 24. Since late May, North Korea has conducted 31 similar balloon launches into the South.

Meanwhile, in a statement released the day before, Kim Yo Jong, deputy director of the Workers’ Party of Korea, issued a strong warning. She criticized the South Korean government, stating, “On November 16, various kinds of political agitation leaflets and dirty things sent by the ROK scum were dropped in many areas near the southern border and even deep inside the DPRK. The scum will have to pay a dear price.”