According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, over 900 balloons have been launched in the past three days, with around 190 released late Friday. Many of these balloons landed in Seoul and the northern Gyeonggi province.

The bags attached to the balloons contained mainly paper and plastic waste, which the military stated posed no safety risk to the public.

North Korea claims these balloon launches are a response to South Korean activists who have been sending propaganda balloons northward. Since May, the North has dispatched nearly 5,000 such balloons.

In retaliation, South Korea has suspended a military agreement aimed at reducing tensions and has resumed propaganda broadcasts along the border.

Experts, like Leif-Eric Easley from Ewha University, suggest that these balloon campaigns may backfire, damaging North Korea’s international reputation instead of achieving effective propaganda.

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The recent balloon launches coincided with a visit from Japan’s outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who discussed regional cooperation with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, particularly concerning North Korea’s nuclear threats.

Relations between the two Koreas remain strained, with North Korea recently announcing the deployment of additional ballistic missile launchers near its southern border.