In response to the thousands of debris-and-manure-filled balloons North Korea recently sent across its border, South Korea on Sunday resumed its loudspeaker broadcasts in border regions.
South Korea's decision to resume loudspeaker broadcasts led the North to launch a new round of balloons filled with trash across the border. In addition, Kim Jong Un's sister issued threats of further escalation if the South continued with its "psychological warfare."
The ongoing tit-for-tat balloon campaign on both sides of the border is dangerously close to escalating into a military confrontation. North Korea is fully responsible for this situation and must stop sending balloons filled with trash across the border. The South Korean government is committed to standing up to any provocations and has chosen to restart its broadcasts aimed at its northern adversary.
For some time now, South Korean activists have been sending subversive pamphlets into North Korea via balloons, despite a ban. Disinformation is a key motive — especially against North Korea’s nuclear program. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s government is supportive of such activists. The North is now answering them with both proportionality and wit. The broadcasts are taking the provocations further. They must stop.