A balloon carrying rubbish from North Korea landed on the grounds of the South Korean presidential compound in Seoul’s Yongsan district on Thursday, marking the second such incident in recent months, Al Jazeera reports.
According to the presidential security service, no dangerous items or materials were found in the debris. However, South Korean newspapers Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo reported that the balloon contained propaganda leaflets mocking President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife.
The incident follows comments made earlier this week by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. She claimed authorities had discovered and removed “political motivational rubbish sent by the ROK scum,” referring to South Korea.
Pyongyang has been launching thousands of balloons carrying refuse and propaganda leaflets across the border since May in response to similar actions by South Korean activists. This escalating pattern of balloon launches has raised concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean sites in the event of a North Korean attack.
The July incident, which also saw a balloon dropping rubbish on the presidential compound, highlighted potential security risks.
