South Korea has issued a warning to recommence its anti-Pyongyang frontline propaganda broadcasts, in retaliation to North Korea’s resumption of trash-carrying balloon launches across the border.

What Happened: North Korea initiated the launch of large balloons carrying bags of rubbish on Monday, marking its fifth such campaign since late May. This action is perceived as a reaction to South Korean activists sending political leaflets via balloons.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol criticized North Korea’s balloon activities as “a despicable and irrational provocation.” He further asserted that South Korea will uphold a strong military readiness to counter any provocations by North Korea, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

According to the South Korean military, North Korea floated approximately 350 balloons in its latest campaign, with around 100 of them landing in South Korean territory, primarily in Seoul and nearby areas.

In response to North Korea’s earlier balloon launches, South Korea had redeployed gigantic loudspeakers along the border on June 9, resuming anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts for the first time in six years.

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Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung Joon stated on Tuesday that the South Korean military is prepared to turn on its border loudspeakers again, depending on North Korea’s actions.

These balloon launches and loudspeaker broadcasts are reminiscent of the psychological campaigns the two Koreas engaged in during the Cold War. The rivals had agreed to halt such activities in recent years, but they have occasionally resumed when tensions reignited.

Why It Matters: In May, South Korea accused North Korea of sending numerous balloons filled with trash and excrement over the heavily fortified border, prompting a military response.

North Korea, however, announced a cessation of these activities in early June, warning of a resumption if anti-North Korean leaflets were flown from the South.

Following this, a group of North Korean defectors in Seoul launched large balloons filled with K-pop and South Korean cultural content across the border in retaliation for the trash-filled balloons sent by North Korea.

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Photo via Shutterstock.

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari