(Photo= Yonhap news)

[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Minyoung] North Korea announced on the 2nd that it would temporarily suspend the distribution of balloons carrying trash and other materials to South Korea. However, they stated that if South Korea sends leaflets to North Korea, they will resume the activity.

Kim Kang-il, a senior official at North Korea's Ministry of Defense, stated in a broadcast on the Korean Central News Agency that they have experienced enough of the disgust and waste of resources associated with collecting trash from South Korea. He described the balloon distribution as a "thorough countermeasure" and threatened to intensify it by a hundredfold in response to the resumption of leaflet propaganda by South Korea.

Kim also claimed that from May 28th to June 2nd, they distributed approximately 15 tons of trash, which they described as "human trash," using over 3,500 devices near the Korean border and in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that as of 1 p.m. on the 2nd, about 720 balloons from North Korea were found in various regions, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang. Adding the balloons flown by North Korea on May 28-29, approximately 1,000 balloons have been identified so far.

In response, the South Korean government mentioned the possibility of resuming loudspeaker broadcasts towards North Korea. There is interest in whether the policy will change following North Korea's temporary suspension declaration.

 

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