(LEAD) N. Korea launches over 150 trash balloons toward S. Korea: JCS

▲ Balloons presumed to be carrying trash float over Seoul on Oct. 2, 2024. (Yonhap)

▲ Trash balloons from North Korea are spotted above Seoul on Sept. 23, 2024. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-trash balloons

(LEAD) N. Korea launches over 150 trash balloons toward S. Korea: JCS

(ATTN: UPDATES with details throughout; RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea launched more than 150 trash-filled balloons toward South Korea on Wednesday, the South's military said, in the first such launch in 10 days.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said some 60 trash bundles have been found in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province due to the latest launch, which marked the 23rd of its kind since the North began the campaign in late May.

The bundles carried household garbage, such as paper, plastic bags and plastic bottles, while no hazardous substances have been found, according to the JCS.

Since May 28, the North has launched more than 5,000 balloons carrying trash in retaliation against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent to the North by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea. The last launch took place on Sept. 22.

South Korea's military has vowed to take "stern" military measures should North Korea "cross the line" with its ongoing trash balloon campaign or inflict serious damage to the South Korean people.

In response to the balloon launches, the South's military has been blasting daily anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers on the border since July 21. It has refrained from directly shooting down the balloons, citing safety concerns.

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