South Korea accuses North Korea of ​​releasing balloons carrying 'garbage and feces'.

Several photos showing white balloons carrying bags full of garbage and what appears to be feces have been widely shared by South Korean media, after North Korea warned over the weekend that it would scatter "waste paper and garbage" in border areas to punish Seoul, according to AFP.

A photograph released by South Korea's Ministry of Defense on May 29 shows unidentified objects attached to balloons released from North Korea on a street in South Korea's Chungnam province.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that "objects believed to be North Korean leaflets have been identified in the Kyunggi-Gangwon border area and the military is taking action."

"Citizens should limit outdoor activities, avoid contact with any foreign objects, and report to the nearest military base or police," the JCS said in a statement sent to AFP.

The JCS said that North Korea's actions "clearly violate international law and pose a serious threat to the safety of our people," adding that some of the balloons contained suspicious debris that the military is currently inspecting.

South Korean activists occasionally release balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets and money intended for North Koreans living on the border.

Pyongyang has long been angered by such propaganda campaigns and has recently threatened retaliation. "Tit-for-tat actions will also be taken against South Korea's frequent scattering of leaflets and other waste near border areas," North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang-il emphasized in a statement on May 26.

"Piles of waste paper and garbage will soon be scattered throughout South Korea's border and inland areas, and the country will have to put in a lot of effort to clean them up," Kim said in a statement published by the KCNA news agency.

North Korea previously sent propaganda balloons across the border in 2016, but their approach this time is slightly different, according to Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute (South Korea), who spoke to AFP.

"Bags filled with toilet paper, garbage, and Chinese batteries were found. Also, based on witness statements about a peculiar smell coming from the bags, it's possible they sent feces, possibly animal waste," Cheong said.

"This is a stern message to South Korea that, like South Korea, North Korea can also send propaganda, and they should stop doing so immediately," Cheong commented, adding that the inter-Korean border would be "tightly controlled after this incident."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/han-quoc-to-trieu-tien-tha-bong-bay-mang-theo-rac-phan-185240529163005425.htm