North Korea drops trash balloons near President's compound in South Korea

Debris from at least one North Korean balloon landed in the South Korean Presidential compound on Wednesday, raising serious security concerns about North Korean provocations against key South Korean facilities, according to several foreign media reports.

The Presidential Security Service of South Korea confirmed that the rubbish, which fell in central Seoul, did not contain any hazardous materials and no injuries were reported. Despite this, experts are advising that South Korea should intercept any future North Korean balloons at the border to prevent potential threats, as it remains uncertain if future balloons might carry dangerous items.

North Korea drops bags of trash on South Korea

This marks the 10th instance of North Korean balloon launches. Since May, North Korea has dropped more than 2,000 balloons filled with wastepaper, scraps of cloth, cigarette butts, and manure on South Korea.

In May, North Korea admitted to sending hundreds of balloons filled with faeces and trash over the border. Around 260 North Korean balloons had been found across South Korea, prompting chemical and explosive response teams to retrieve the debris. Photographs released by the military show some balloons still intact with trash bags attached, while others depict scattered plastic and paper on urban streets. In addition to trash, the balloons carried manure and animal faeces, although no human waste has been detected.

At the time, authorities issued alerts to South Korean residents, advising them to stay indoors and report any balloon sightings.

While most balloons landed near border provinces, some travelled as far south as South Gyeongsang.

Why is North Korea sending trash balloons to South Korea?

In May, North Korea’s Vice Defence Minister Kim Kang Il described the balloon launches as a ‘tit-for-tat’ response to South Korean activists sending leaflets that criticise North Korea's human rights abuses. These leaflets sometimes include USB drives containing K-pop music videos and TV shows, which are banned in North Korea.
 

In response, South Korea’s military condemned the North’s balloon launches as violations of international law that pose serious threats to public safety.
 

South Korea also reportedly increased its broadcasting of K-pop songs and propaganda messages across the heavily militarised border, leading to Cold War-style provocations. This has heightened tensions, with both sides threatening escalated measures.

North Korea using wind patterns to send balloons?

South Korean officials stated that North Korea utilised wind patterns to send balloons into South Korea, some of which were equipped with timers designed to release trash mid-air. The Presidential Security Service did not disclose further details about the debris found at the compound, nor whether any balloons were found with the trash.

Should evidence emerge that North Korea used devices to intentionally drop trash on crucial South Korean locations, including the Presidential office, a strong reaction from South Korea would be expected. Media reports, however, suggest that such precise targeting technology is beyond North Korea’s current capabilities.

The Security Service declined to confirm whether President Yoon Suk Yeol was present in the office at the time, noting that he had no official schedule on July 24. Meanwhile, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korean balloons were observed flying north of Seoul after crossing the border, urging the public to be vigilant about falling objects.

North Korea claims these actions are in retaliation for South Korean activists sending political leaflets across the border.

North Korea views these civilian leafletting activities as significant threats to its control over information flow and its authoritarian rule. In previous responses to South Korean leafletting, North Korea demolished an empty South Korean-built liaison office in 2020 and fired at incoming balloons in 2014.

South Korea bumps up security measures

While the North’s balloons have not caused major damage, they have heightened security concerns among the South Korean people, worried that North Korea might use balloons to disperse more hazardous materials such as chemical or biological agents.

In retaliation for North Korea’s balloon activities, South Korea resumed its loudspeaker broadcasts last Thursday, for the first time in about 40 days. These broadcasts, conducted from all major sites along the land border, aim to demoralise North Korean troops and residents. The content includes K-pop songs and news on South Korea’s economic progress, as well as reports on the defection of a senior North Korean diplomat and the harsh conditions of mine-planting work by North Korean soldiers.

South Korea’s military has warned of further unspecified measures if North Korea continues its balloon campaigns. North Korea has not officially responded to the South Korean broadcasts. However, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has threatened new retaliatory measures against South Korean leafletting activities.