North Korea's Balloon Campaign Spurs Safety Concerns in South Korea

North Korea has launched about 500 trash-laden balloons into South Korean airspace, causing flight disruptions and igniting a fire on a residential building. The balloons are part of a propaganda offensive against North Korean defectors and activists. South Korean officials reported suspensions of flights and several incidents of balloons causing fires.

North Korea has sent approximately 500 balloons filled with trash into South Korea's airspace within the last 24 hours, according to officials in the South. The balloons have disrupted flights and caused a fire on a residential building's roof.

These airborne objects form part of Pyongyang's ongoing propaganda war targeting North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea. The defectors often launch their own balloons back toward the north, carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets, medicines, money, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop videos and dramas. A suspected propaganda balloon stopped takeoffs and landings at Seoul's Gimpo Airport for two hours on Wednesday evening.

In recent weeks, similar incidents have disrupted operations at South Korea's Incheon International Airport. In Gyeonggi province, a balloon landed on a residential building, causing a fire that firefighters promptly extinguished. South Korea's military reported that some trash balloons were equipped with timed poppers intended to spread trash and potentially start fires. 'A timer is attached which causes the balloons to pop after a certain period,' stated Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As of Thursday, 480 balloons containing mostly paper and plastic trash were reported to have landed in the country, with some found near Seoul's heavily guarded presidential office.

(With inputs from agencies.)