North Korea Signals Intensified Response to Balloon Leafleting Crisis

Kim Yo Jong, powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, vowed to retaliate against South Korean activists' balloon leafleting campaigns. North Korea has resumed sending trash-filled balloons in response. This escalation follows South Korea suspending a 2018 tension-reduction deal and resuming live-fire drills.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has vowed a forceful response to what she describes as a renewed South Korean civilian leafleting campaign, hinting at North Korea resuming the practice of sending trash-loaded balloons across the border.

Since late May, North Korea has been launching balloons filled with waste material such as paper scraps, cigarette butts, and even manure, as a tit-for-tat retaliation against South Korean activists who are sending political leaflets into North Korea. Despite the aggressive exchanges, no hazardous materials have been reported. In response, South Korea suspended a 2018 tension-reduction agreement and resumed live-fire drills near the border.

In a statement reported by state media, Kim Yo Jong condemned the South Korean practice, highlighting the discovery of 'dirty leaflets' in border areas. She warned that North Korea's countermeasures would cause significant embarrassment and high costs for South Korea. The ongoing balloon activities have intensified the already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

(With inputs from agencies.)