NORTH Korea sent a wave of 260 'filthy' excrement-filled balloons to South Korea in a strange act of intimidation.
The white balloons were also filled with trash and toilet paper, an act that the Seoul military called “inhumane and low class.”
9
9
9
9
Surrealistic footage shows the enormous, semi-transparent balloons landing in residential areas, parks, gardens and forests.
Some of them were shipped in pairs with plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and other bagged trash tied to them.
Local media shared images of what appeared to be poo in the bin bags – while citizens were warned not to leave their bin bags behind houses.
They were also warned not to touch the balloons and to report doing so army or Police.
North Korea first began sending them on Tuesday evening, in response to anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
South Korean activists had sent their own leaflets via balloons along border areas between the two states.
Last weekend, the Seoul dictatorship warned it would flood the same areas with “heaps of waste paper and filth” to punish them.
Citizens should refrain from outdoor activities and avoid coming into contact with unknown objects
Officials of South Korea
The South Korean military today investigated whether the balloons contained propaganda leaflets.
They were found in eight of the nine provinces in the South and sent for analysis.
9
9
9
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said “unidentified items suspected to be North Korean propaganda leaflets have been identified in the Gyeonggi-Gangwon border area and the military is taking action.”
It urged: “Citizens should refrain from outdoor activities, avoid coming into contact with unknown objects and report them to the nearest military base or to the police.”
And it went on to condemn North Korea's “inhumane and low-grade actions,” saying the move “clearly violates international law and seriously threatens the security of our people.”
Late Tuesday night, Gyeonggi Province sent a text message to residents saying: “Refrain from outdoor activities and report (objects from North Korea) to military bases when identified.”
The North Korean regime has been angry about it for a long time campaigns from the South, balloons with anti-Kim Jong Un pamphlets are involved.
On Sunday, defense official Kim Kang II threatened: “Action will also be taken against the ROK's frequent distribution of leaflets and other waste near border areas.”
“Heaps of waste paper and rubbish will soon be scattered across the border areas and inland areas of the ROK and we will immediately experience the effort required to remove them.”
The border between North and South Korea is a heavily fortified divide – with the two states technically at war.
Both have used balloons in their own campaigns since the Korean War in the 1950s.
The North has sent propaganda balloons across the border before, but this time their method was different, Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute told AFP.
He said: “Bags filled with toilet paper, rubbish and Chinese batteries were found.
“Also, witness statements that a 'distinctive odor' came from the bag indicate that they probably also sent feces, probably animal feces.
“It is a stern message to South Korea that North Korea, like the South, can also send propaganda, and they should stop it immediately.”
Cheong said the border would be “strongly controlled” after this.
North Korea vs. South Korea: Rising Tensions
By means of Ellie DoughyForeign news reporter
Relations between North and South Korea are at a high just days after one of Kim Jong-Un's missiles exploded in mid-air.
It launched a spy satellite aboard a new rocket from the mainline room center, but exploded shortly after launch.
In protest, Seoul conducted exercises with its fighter jets just hours before the launch.
In November, dictator Kim said the country was entering a “new era of space power” after the successful launch of its first spy satellite.
Despite international efforts to temper North Korea's testing, the regime is determined to show off its new technology.
Even Russia in September promised to help Pyongyang build satellites.
9
9