North Korean balloon tactic disrupts Seoul flights again
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that early Friday morning, Pyongyang sent another series of balloons across the country, likely containing rubbish bags. According to warnings from the Command, these balloons were heading towards the northern regions of Gyeonggi Province and Seoul itself, causing disruptions in air traffic.
The "Korea JoongAng" newspaper reported on delays at Seoul-Incheon International Airport. A journalist from the publication, who was set to travel on one of the morning flights, described the situation. Due to "illegal balloon operations by North Korea," his flight was delayed by over an hour.
Data from the aviation portal Flightradar24 confirm these reports. The information indicates that departures of all flights scheduled after 8:30 am were delayed from 40 minutes to even over two hours. However, landings were proceeding without disruptions.
Balloons with rubbish are a form of "soft terrorism"
Since May, North Korea has sent over 5,000 balloons filled with rubbish to the South, claiming it is a response to the actions of South Korean activists. The latter launched propaganda balloons to the north, which—as previously reported—contained not only leaflets but also recordings of South Korean pop music. Reacting to these actions, Seoul resumed broadcasting propaganda programmes from loudspeakers along the border.
Experts from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in their report from early July, described North Korea's actions as an example of "soft terrorism". They pointed out that various forms of activity by the Pyongyang regime, such as sending balloons, repeatedly affected the safety of international air traffic.
