SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Trash carried by a North Korean balloon fell on the presidential palace in central Seoul, officials said Thursday, the second such incident in recent months. There is growing concern that South Korea’s main bases are vulnerable during a possible invasion of South Korea.
The incident comes as rival South Korea stepped up threats and rhetoric against each other over North Korea’s claims that South Korea flew a drone over the capital, Pyongyang, this month to distribute propaganda leaflets.
South Korea’s Presidential Security Agency said in a statement that one of the balloons launched by North Korea burst over the South Korean presidential palace on Thursday morning, causing trash to fall to the ground. No hazardous materials were found.
North Korea has been sending balloons filled with garbage to South Korea since late May in a bid to resume Cold War-style psychological operations. The trash that fell on South Korea’s presidential palace in July did not contain any hazardous materials and no one was injured.
It was not immediately clear whether South Korean President Yun Seok-Yeol was on the premises at the time of the incident. His schedule was to meet with visiting Polish President Andrzej Duda in his office later on Thursday.
South Korea’s Dong-A Ilbo reported on its website Thursday that North Korea’s latest balloons contained propaganda leaflets and trash criticizing Yun and his wife, Kim Geon-hee.
The newspaper reported that the leaflets were distributed in Seoul’s Yongsan district, where Yun’s presidential palace is located, and noted that North Korea had recently begun using GPS technology to drop balloons more precisely at targeted locations.
South Korea’s Presidential Security Bureau did not immediately confirm the report.
Experts say North Korea likely lacks the advanced technology to drop balloons on specific targets.
“Whether or not the balloons have GPS, it’s important to launch them in large numbers so they can reach the right altitude based on wind direction and speed and travel with the wind,” says Nanami. said Lee Chung-geun, a university emeritus researcher. This was revealed by the Korea Science and Technology Policy Research Institute.
“Some media outlets are saying that the accuracy of the balloon has improved, but the improved accuracy is not due to any kind of guidance system installed on the balloon, but rather due to the season when the wind blows from the south,” Lee said. he said.
North Korea earlier accused South Korea of sending drones into North Korea’s skies to drop propaganda leaflets three times this month, and threatened military action if it happened again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it flew the drone, but has warned that North Korea faces the end of its regime if the safety of South Koreans is threatened.
North Korea claimed that its balloon operations were a response to South Korean activists flying anti-North Korean leaflets using their own balloons. South Korea responded by resuming propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas, prompting North Korea to turn on its own front-line loudspeakers.
South Korea’s Cold War-style operation comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un increases the pace of weapons tests and expands military cooperation with Russia.
U.S. and South Korean officials announced Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops are being sent to Russia and training in multiple locations. South Korean officials said North Korea aims to eventually send a total of 10,000 troops to Russia to support the war effort in Ukraine.
South Korea is concerned that Russia may provide North Korea in return with advanced technology that could improve Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs to target South Korea and its allies.