In response to North Korea's continued launching of balloons carrying trash across the border, South Korea has threatened to resume its anti-North propaganda broadcasts. The move comes amid heightened tensions between the rivals over leaflet campaigns and the strengthening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
South Korea's military has reported that North Korea floated about 350 balloons, with around 100 landing in Seoul and nearby areas. This latest provocation follows North Korea's previous campaigns of launching balloons carrying plastic bags of rubbish, paper, and other waste materials.
In response, South Korea's military has redeployed loudspeakers along the border and resumed brief anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have stated that they are considering unspecified strategic and operational factors before resuming full-scale broadcasts.
South Korea Threatens to Restart Propaganda Broadcasts Amid North Korea's Trash Balloon Provocations
Balloon launches and loudspeaker broadcasts were common psychological warfare tactics during the Cold War between the two Koreas. The rivals have agreed to halt such activities in recent years, but tensions have re-ignited.
North Korea is highly sensitive to South Korean border broadcasts and leaflet campaigns, as it restricts access to foreign news for its citizens. South Korean leafleting campaigns, mostly conducted by North Korean defectors, include criticism of human rights violations and USB sticks containing South Korean media.
South Korea Threatens to Restart Propaganda Broadcasts Amid North Korea's Trash Balloon Provocations
North Korea's balloon campaign is seen by some as an attempt to deepen debate in South Korea over civilian leafleting and create internal divisions. The move also comes amid heightened concerns over North Korea's nuclear arsenal and its military cooperation with Russia.
Worries about North Korea intensified in June when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a deal requiring mutual aid in the event of an attack. The United States and its partners believe North Korea has provided Russia with conventional arms for its war in Ukraine in exchange for assistance.
South Korea Threatens to Restart Propaganda Broadcasts Amid North Korea's Trash Balloon Provocations
In his Korean War speech, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned the Kim-Putin deal as "anachronistic." South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have jointly condemned the growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
The United States has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to the region to counter North Korea's nuclear threats and its military partnership with Russia. The deployment is also part of a joint effort to enhance "regular visibility" of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea Threatens to Restart Propaganda Broadcasts Amid North Korea's Trash Balloon Provocations
North Korea has previously reacted to major U.S.-led drills with missile tests. The North's vice defense minister, Kim Kang Il, has criticized the deployment of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, calling it a "reckless option and action of the U.S."
The tensions between the Koreas and the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia have heightened concerns over the stability of the region. South Korea's threat to resume propaganda broadcasts adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing conflict.
