The garbage balloon crisis between South Korea and North Korea continues. South Korean authorities reported that North Korea sent around 500 balloons to South Korea in the last 24 hours, and that the balloons were disrupting flights in the capital, Seoul. The Korean Airports Association reported that the balloons caused a two-hour delay in takeoffs and landings at Gimpo Airport in Seoul last night. It was reported that the balloons caused a fire on the roof of a building in the country’s Gyeonggi province.
It has also been noted that air traffic at Incheon Airport, the country’s central location, has been frequently disrupted in recent weeks.
“TIMED EXPLOSIVES ARE PLACED IN THE BALLOONS”
Lee Sung-jun, a spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, said some of the garbage balloons were equipped with timed explosives that could cause fires. “A timer is placed on the balloons, which causes the balloons to burst after a certain period of time, spreading garbage into the environment,” he said. Sung-jun noted that 480 balloons, mostly paper and plastic garbage, had arrived in South Korea today.
Some of the garbage balloons sent by North Korea yesterday landed at the Presidential Office in Seoul. (İHA)