Trash from at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound Wednesday, raising worries about the security of key South Korean facilities from North Korean provocations. The rubbish that fell on the ground at the compound in central Seoul contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt, South Korea's presidential security service said in a statement. But experts say South Korea needs to shoot incoming North Korean balloons at border areas next time, as it's not clear whether North Korea would include hazardous items in future campaigns.
Seoul officials earlier said North Korea had used the direction of winds to fly balloons toward South Korea, but some of the past balloons had timers that were likely meant to pop the bags of trash midair. The security service gave no further details about the rubbish found at the presidential compound, like whether balloons were discovered along with the trash. If North Korea is found to have used timers or any other device to deliberately dump trash on key South Korean facilities like the presidential office, it would certainly invite a strong response by South Korea. But experts say dropping balloons on ground targets is extremely sophisticated technology and that North Korea would certainly lack such an ability.
The AP reports North Korea's latest balloon launches came days after South Korea on Sunday boosted its front-line broadcasts of K-pop songs and propaganda messages across the rivals' heavily armed border. The loudspeaker broadcasts had been restarted last Thursday for the first time in about 40 days in retaliation for North Korea's previous balloon activities. South Korean media reported that the broadcasts also contained news on the recent defection of a senior North Korean diplomat and called the mine-planting work by North Korean soldiers at the border "hellish, slavelike lives."
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This most recent balloon launch was North Korea's 10th such launch since late May. The more than 2,000 huge balloons so far have dropped wastepaper, scraps of cloth, cigarette butts, and even manure on South Korea. North Korea has said it was responding to South Korean activists scattering political leaflets across the border via their own balloons. The North's balloons haven't caused major damage but have raised security jitters among people worried North Korea could use such balloons to drop more hazardous materials like chemical and biological agents.
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