Seoul says North Korea has flown more trash balloons toward South Korea

The South Korean military has said that North Korea is resuming its unorthodox tactic of sending trash-filled balloons over the borders.

On Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff warned that the balloons might fly all the way to northern Seoul. Citizens received text alerts asking them to be alert to objects falling from the sky and to report any balloon sightings, news agency Associated Press reported.

North Korea has, for the past weeks, sent more than 2,000 balloons carrying garbage like cloth scraps and cigarette buds. They have described this tactic as a direct retaliation to anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets being sent over the border by South Korean citizens.

In response to the balloons, South Korea resorted to blaring propaganda messages and K-pop songs on the front lines to vex their neighbours, the AP report added.

The last incident of the balloons was reported on July 24, when garbage from one such balloon dropped in the South Korean presidential compound, raising security concerns about what else could be flown in.

The growing rapport between the United States and South Korea has also frustrated North Korea as it has ramped up its missile program and made verbal threats to western countries.

The United States and South Korea have also agreed to expand their combined military exercises.

North Korea, in recent days, has been dealing with floods ravaging homes and farmlands. The country has also rejected any aid from close allies like Russia and China, insisting it’s capable of dealing with the situation on its own.