North Korea's Waste Balloon Lands In The Presidential Office Complex, South Korean Paspampres: Does Not Cause Danger

JAKARTA - A garbage-carrying balloon flown by North Korea landed in the South Korean Presidential Office on Wednesday, the Presidential Security Forces (PSS) said.

PSS said it found garbage falling in the presidential office yard while monitoring the latest group of balloons flown by North Korea the previous day.

"Investigations by the chemical, biological and radiological response team show that these objects do not cause danger or contamination, so these objects are retrieved," PSS said, launching The Korea Times July 24.

"We continue to monitor through cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff," he continued.

Previously, the South Korean military confirmed that North Korea had sent a number of balloons filled with garbage.

"With the current wind to the west, the suspected garbage balloon aimed at South Korea is moving towards the northern part of Gyeonggi," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The agency said in a statement North Korean balloons flew north of Seoul on Wednesday morning after crossing the border. They appealed to people to be aware of falling objects, quoted from CTV News.

Then in the morning, South Korean media reported that several North Korean balloons fell in the South Korean presidential office complex and the Ministry of Defense. The report said authorities had gathered the balloons after finding the balloons were not carrying dangerous items.

It was North Korea's 10th launch since late May. More than 2,000 large balloons have so far dropped used paper, pieces of cloth, cigarette butts, and manure to South Korea.

It was a form of protest over anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent by activists in South Korea across the border.

North Korean balloons have not caused major damage, but have raised security concerns among people concerned Pyongyang could use the balloons to drop more dangerous materials such as chemicals and biology.

President Yoon Suk-yeol decided to leave the tradition for decades and move from a more remote Blue House to South Korea's Presidential Office in Yongsan, a central district in Seoul since 2022.