Tipsheet

North Korea Sends Balloons With 'Gifts of Sincerity' Across Border. There Was a Nasty Surprise in Them.

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  May 30, 2024 9:00 AM

North Korea sent hundreds of balloons carrying "gifts of sincerity" in the form of trash and excrement over the border to South Korea this week.

The move reportedly came in response to activists in Seoul sending anti-Northern leaflets into the rogue nation.

“As already warned by the [North Korean] vice minister of National Defence, a large amount of waste paper and rubbish are being scattered in the border and deep areas of the ROK from the night of May 28,” read a statement from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, according to state media outlet KCNA, The Hill reports. “According to the [South Korean] media, waste paper and rubbish were found not only in the border area with [North Korea] but also in Seoul and other parts of [South Korea].”

“The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the [South Korean] puppet army said that [North Korea] is scattering a large number of balloons over [South Korea] from last night,” the statement continues. “It urged [North Korea] to stop such an act at once, claiming that it is a clear violation of international law, an act of seriously threatening the security of [South Korean] people and an unethical and lowbrow act.”

By Wednesday, South Korea’s military said it found approximately 260 balloons carrying trash. Photos show at least one bag with the word “excrement” on it, according to Reuters.   

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“Acts like this by North Korea are a clear violation of international law and a serious threat to the safety of our people,” the South Korean military said in a statement on Wednesday. “We issue a stern warning to North Korea to stop this anti-humanitarian and dirty operation.”