A South Korean airport was closed for three hours after North Korea launched balloons for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
Incheon International Airport suspended or delayed takeoffs and landings of both domestic and international flights from 1:46 a.m. to 4:44 a.m. local time, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.
Earlier, the military in Seoul reported that Pyongyang sent over 250 trash-carrying balloons towards South Korea overnight. This marked the sixth such launch since last month, with over 2,000 balloons sent since May 28.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that more than 100 balloons on Wednesday carried scrap papers and landed in Seoul and the northern part of Gyeonggi Province. This latest incident comes after South Korea resumed propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers, prompting Pyongyang to resume its air-dropping of trash.
Earlier this month, South Korea claimed that over 300 balloons had crossed the border from North Korea. Pyongyang described its actions as a “tit-for-tat” response to anti-regime leaflets flown into North Korea from the South.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned that Pyongyang would use “new responses” to Seoul’s leaflets and loudspeaker broadcasts. She called Seoul’s actions a “prelude to a very dangerous situation.”
Meanwhile, North Korean media reported a mass rally in Pyongyang on Tuesday to commemorate the Korean War anniversary. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said around 100,000 people attended the rally at the May Day Stadium on the day of struggle against “US Imperialism.”
