This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
At 11: 34 p. m. on Tuesday, cellular phones in parts of South Korea’s Gyeonggi state screeched out an call from authorities caution of an “air raid”, sparking anxiety among residents living near to one of the country’s most strongly fortified borders.
” Air attack? I was in panic because I believed they were referring to the alert’s English-language word” Air raid primary caution” in the notify. A citizen of the city of Paju who received the alert also expressed his fear.
Paju, a town on the of post border between the two Koreas, is located just south of Panmunjeom, a place where the North and South Korean soldiers have battled for years.
More than 200 bubbles floated over the border from North Korea, carrying debris and excrement, according to the notice, which advised people to report any unexplained things.
Eventually, authorities revealed that the word “air attack” had been erred when being used.  ,
Balloons with debris
North Korean defectors living in the South and human rights activists have consistently attempted to stoke up criticism and protest in the North Korean state by sending balloons over the border into the North.
The North is frequently requesting a halt to the balloons from the South and threatening retribution.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, or JCS, said on Wednesday that North Korea had sent more than 200 bubbles over the boundary carrying several pieces of trash such as plastic containers, batteries, foot parts and even pet manure. Residents were advised to report any strange objects and to avoid touching anything by the JCS.
The balloons began moving south over various parts of South Korea as far as the province of South Gyeongsang, where they were late on Tuesday, scattering their trash as they came to earth, according to the JCS.
The JCS said the balloons could be dangerous, noting damage to a vehicle and a roof in 2016 caused by North Korean balloons.
The JCS stated that” These acts by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our people.” We sternly advise North Korea to put an end to its cruel and inhumane deed.
It added that it was working with the police and the government to create safety plans, noting that it was working closely with the U.S.-led U.N. Command in charge of overseeing the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.
The Seoul-based Fighters for a Free North Korea flew the most recent balloons from the South into the North this month. The group said on May 13 it had sent 300, 000 leaflets and 2, 000 USBs containing K- pop music videos to the North by suspending them from 20 big balloons.
A banner attached to the balloon accused the North’s leader of treachery:  ,” Kim Jong Un, you are nothing but an unchangeable traitor, an enemy of the Korean people”.
North Korea announced on Sunday that it would” spread mounds of wastepaper and filth” over the border areas as part of a “tit-for-tat action” in response to the most recent anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
Analysts say North Korea, which is isolated, fears that outside information might threaten its leadership’s hold on power.  ,
The two Koreas, who have technically been at war since the 1950s to 1953 Korean War ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty, have long been a source of conflict.
