The spokesperson of United States Department of State, Matthew Millerdescribed as a “disgusting and childish tactic” the sending of balloons with manure and garbage by the regime of North Korea toward South Koreawhose authorities reported on Sunday the arrival of some 720 objects of this type.
“It is obviously a pretty disgusting, irresponsible and childish tactic, and it must come to an end. Of course I condemn it.”Miller said during a press conference.
Kim Jong-un’s regime assured on Sunday that they have paralyzed these actions, but that they will send this type of balloons again if from South Korea They once again launch propaganda pamphlets in their territory.
Pyongyang reported launching 3,500 balloons carrying “15 tons” of debris between May 28 and June 2. The balloons carried various pieces of trash, such as cigarette butts, paper and plastic bags, just like the previous balloons, according to the report. Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean Army.
In response, first South Korean Presidential National Security Counciland then the cabinet, have decided completely suspend the 2018 inter-Korean treatywhich they already partially interrupted in November, until “mutual trust” is restored between Pyongyang and Seoul.
This agreement reduced tensions between both countries at the time, of which Seoul partially retired in November in response to the launch of a military satellite North Koreawhich responded with a promise to restore military measures suspended under the agreement, signed on September 19, 2018 under the Administration of the former president Moon Jae Inwhich called for stopping all hostile military activity between the two Koreas, establishing maritime security zones, and converting the Demilitarized Zone in a zone of peace, among other issues.
In a statement on Wednesday, Kim Yo Jongthe powerful sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-unconfirmed that his country sent the balloons to carry out his regime’s recent threat to “scatter piles of used paper and garbage” in South Korea in response to leaflet campaigns by South Korean activists.
He hinted that balloons could become the standard response of the North to the distribution of leaflets in the future, saying that the North I would respond by “spreading trash dozens of times more than they are spreading to us.”
North Korea is extremely sensitive to any external attempt to undermine the absolute control of Kim Jong-un about the country’s 26 million inhabitants, most of whom have little access to foreign news.
In 2020, North Korea blew up an empty liaison office built by South Korea on its territory, after a furious response to the civil leaflet distribution campaigns of South Korea. In 2014, North Korea fired at propaganda balloons that were flying towards its territory and South Korea returned fire, although there were no casualties.
In 2022, North Korea even suggested that the balloons flown from South Korea had caused a COVID-19 outbreak in the isolated nation, a highly questionable claim that appeared to be an attempt to blame the South due to the worsening of inter-Korean relations.
(With information from Europa Press and AP)
