Seoul, South Korea — North Korea appears to have made good on its threat to float feces-carrying balloons into South Korea, according to local media reports.
The Yonhap news agency reported that South Korea’s military early Wednesday detected about 90 balloons, some of which carried apparent propaganda leaflets and other items that were scattered in two South Korean border provinces.
“It was reported that some of the balloons that fell had sewage hanging in bags, which although difficult to confirm, was presumed to be feces due to its dark color and odor,” Yonhap reported.
Earlier this week, North Korea vowed “tit for tat action” after a prominent human rights activist launched balloons carrying anti-North Korea pamphlets and USB flash drives filled with South Korean pop culture content into the North.
“Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK, and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them,” said Kim Kang Il, North Korea’s vice minister of national defense, in comments published in state media on Sunday.
Early Wednesday, text message alerts warned some South Korean residents in border provinces to refrain from outdoor activities because of unknown objects presumedly from North Korea. The notification, which did not mention feces, advised residents to contact their local government if they find any of the objects.
It is not the first time North Korea has sent balloons carrying feces into the South. In 2016, South Korean residents near the border reported finding balloons containing cigarette butts, compact discs, and used toilet paper, among other things.
North Korea’s totalitarian government has for years complained about South Korean activists who float anti-Pyongyang materials and other items into the North. The leaflets often criticize North Korea’s human rights record or mock North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and are sometimes packaged with items of value, such as dollar bills or USB flash drives.
Earlier this month, Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector and outspoken human rights activist, sent about 20 large balloons into the North. It was Park’s first launch since South Korea’s Constitutional Court struck down a law banning such launches.
South Korean officials have cited national security considerations to prohibit or outlaw the launches. In 2014, North Korean border guards tried to shoot down some of the balloons, resulting in an exchange of gunfire with the South.