South Korea warns of 'stern military action' as North's trash balloon launches continue

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday warned that it could take "stern military actions" if Pyongyang’s continued trash-laden balloons compromise the safety of the Korean people or when such balloon intrusions "cross the line."

An object assumed to be a pair of balloons carrying trash is seen in the sky above Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Monday morning. [YONHAP]

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday warned that it could take "stern military actions" if Pyongyang’s continued trash-laden balloons compromise the safety of the Korean people or when such balloon intrusions "cross the line."

The remarks in a statement to reporters came a day after the North sent over 120 filth-laden balloons to the South in its 22nd round of balloon launches, which took place between Sunday evening and early Monday morning.

During a later regular briefing on Monday, JCS spokesman Col. Lee Sung-jun said potential military action was due to Pyongyang’s “continuous provocations in the gray area and mounting public inconveniences.”

When asked about the criteria of military engagement, Lee refused to clarify the “precise standard at the moment.”

Noting property damage and fires caused by the trash balloons, Lee said the South Korean military could take "counteractions at a level corresponding to the losses" in the South.

The JCS also criticized the regime’s trash balloon launches as “vulgar, internationally shameful and small-minded behavior which fosters anxieties among South Koreans.”.

The South Korean military estimated that the North had spent 550 million won ($410,552) crafting and sending the filth-laden balloons across the inter-Korean border, enough to buy 970 tonnes of rice in North Korean markets.

The JCS said its military has been conducting a “live monitoring of the balloon launch sites in the North” and collecting the payloads and debris when the balloons land on South Korean territory.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]