▲ Balloons launched by North Korea float over central Seoul in this file photo taken Oct. 8, 2024. (Yonhap)

N Korea-trash balloons

N. Korea again launches apparent trash balloons toward S. Korea

SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korea launched balloons presumed to be carrying trash toward South Korea early Thursday, the South's military said, in the resumption of such launches after a five-day hiatus.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the latest launch, raising the possibility of the balloons floating toward the broader Seoul area, and the border provinces of Gyeonggi and Gangwon.

The latest launch comes after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North's leader, claimed Tuesday the North discovered and removed "political motivational rubbish" sent by the South the previous day.

Since late May, the North has launched thousands of balloons carrying trash in retaliation against anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent across the border by activists in the South. It last launched such balloons on Saturday.

In response to the launches, the South's military has been blaring daily anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers along the border since July. It has refrained from shooting down the balloons, citing safety concerns.

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