In the span of two days, North Korea has launched objects suspected to be balloons filled with trash towards the South three times. The situation escalated to the point where military, police, and fire authorities were dispatched over concerns that one of the balloons might land in a crowded professional baseball stadium.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on September 5, North Korea released approximately 480 trash-filled balloons in two separate waves between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., following a similar launch on the previous day.
So far, over 100 objects have been confirmed to have fallen in areas including Seoul (30 objects) and northern Gyeonggi Province (70 objects).
On the night of September 4, North Korea had also sent a batch of balloons, which were reported to have stopped by the early morning hours of the following day, only to resume a few hours later. This marks the 13th such occurrence this year, and the second consecutive day of launches.
The contents of the balloons were identified as mostly trash, including paper and plastic bottles, with no hazardous materials detected, according to military analysis.
The JCS issued a statement urging the public to avoid contact with any falling objects and to report any sightings to the nearest military or police unit.
Concerns arose over the potential of the balloons falling into Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where a professional baseball game between the LG Twins and SSG Landers was taking place. Military, police, and fire authorities were dispatched to the scene around 9 p.m. as a precaution.
An LG team official stated, “We first received notice around 8:30 p.m. from the military, warning of the possibility of falling balloons. For the safety of the spectators, military, police, and fire units were dispatched.”
The official added, “If any balloons were to fall onto the field or stands, the game would be temporarily halted for retrieval efforts.”
Fortunately, no balloons landed in Jamsil Stadium, and the game proceeded without interruption.
Since the night of September 4, North Korea has launched over 420 balloons, with an additional 60 balloons being released between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on the following day.
BY JAESUNG BAE, YOUNGNAM KIM [hongdoya@joongang.co.kr]
