North Korean Waste Balloon Causes Property Damage Of Around IDR 319 Million In Seoul And Gyeonggi

JAKARTA - The balloons containing garbage sent by North Korea to the South have caused property damage worth nearly 27 million won (Rp319,524,898) in Seoul and around Gyeonggi Province, according to an opposition lawmaker.

Lawmaker Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party Korea revealed data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Gyeonggi Provincial office showed the total damage caused by North Korean waste balloons was around 26.78 million won from May 28 to June 12.

This consists of about 20 million won reported in Seoul and 6.6 million won in Gyeonggi Province, reported The Korea Times July 1.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and Security recently announced plans to use reserve funds to support estimates of damage reported by Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

"Given that North Korean balloons continue to cause direct and indirect losses to our citizens, the government and politicians must immediately make plans to compensate for the loss," Yang said.

Since May 28, North Korea has launched thousands of balloons into South Korea in response to anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by defectors and North Korean activists in the South.

Most of the balloons that were successfully evacuated brought used paper and garbage, the military said, noting that their analysis has so far shown no harmful material.

The most significant incident occurred on May 29 at a logistics center in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District, where a balloon landed in a parked car, causing a loss of about 1.6 million won as the roof of the car was destroyed.

Another incident on June 2 in Seoul showed a balloon falling in a parked car, breaking windows and front passenger hoods, with an estimated loss of between 1 and 2 million won.

On the same day in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, three balloons fell in a housing complex, damaging roofs and ceilings and causing a loss of 4.1 million won.

In addition, a balloon equipped with a time-delaying explosive device landed in the same city, causing a fire in a car and causing a loss of 1.21 million won on the front wheels and driver seats.

There is currently no legal basis for compensation for damage caused by North Korean balloons. This has led to legislative efforts to address the situation.