South Korea resumes propaganda broadcasts; North responds with more balloons likely with trash

Seoul: Two days after South Korea resumed loud anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts across the border in retribution for the North's repeated balloon campaigns, Seoul officials reported that North Korea flew more balloons towards South Korea on Sunday, most likely carrying trash.

The balloons from North Korea were flying north of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, after crossing the border, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea. It stated that people in South Korea should be on the lookout for falling objects and notify the military and police authorities if they come across any balloons that have fallen to the ground.

North Korea's latest balloon flying is threatening to escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea earlier warned it would conduct loudspeaker broadcasts in a fuller manner and take other stronger steps if North Korea continues provocations like balloon launches, PTI reported.

Since late May, North Korea has floated numerous balloons on a series of launch events to drop scraps of cloth, cigarette butts, waste batteries and even manure, though they caused no major damage in South Korea.

North Korea said the initial balloons were launched in response to South Korean activists sending political leaflets to the North via their own balloons.

South Korea responded by suspending a 2018 tension-reduction deal with North Korea, making propaganda broadcasts and conducting front-line live-fire military drills at border areas.