Seoul, South Korea — North Korea has launched balloons carrying trash into South Korean territory for the third consecutive day, escalating tensions between the two nations, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). These balloons, originating from the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, are part of a series of similar actions that have occurred throughout the week.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the public has been advised to avoid touching the fallen balloons and to report any sightings to the military or police. This latest activity brings the estimated total to over 2,000 trash-carrying balloons launched by North Korea since May 28, in apparent retaliation against anti-Pyongyang leaflets distributed by North Korean defectors and activists in the South. The balloon launches coincided with North Korea's test-firing of what is believed to be a hypersonic missile toward the East Sea, which reportedly exploded mid-air earlier the same day.