[LAUREN TAYLOR]

NORTH KOREA IS CONTINUING ITS CAMPAIGN OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE AGAINST SOUTH KOREA.

SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIALS SAY THEY DETECTED SUSPECTED TRASH BALLOONS TARGETING SEOUL LAUNCHED WEDNESDAY BY NORTH KOREA.

SEOUL ISSUED TEXT ALERTS AND WARNED PEOPLE TO STAY INSIDE.

NORTH KOREA HAS FLOWN THOUSANDS OF BALLOONS TOWARD SOUTH KOREA IN RECENT MONTHS.

THE BALLOONS HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH GARBAGE LIKE WASTEPAPER, CLOTH SCRAPS, AND CIGARETTE BUTTS, AS WELL AS EXCREMENT.

PYONGYANG SAYS THE BALLOON ATTACKS ARE RETALIATION FOR SOUTH KOREAN ACTIVISTS FLYING ANTI-NORTH KOREAN PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS OVER THE BORDER.

IN JULY, TRASH BALLOONS FELL INSIDE THE SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL COMPOUND, PROMPTING SECURITY CONCERNS OVER THE VULNERABILITY OF SENSITIVE FACILITIES.

FOLLOWING THE BREACH, SOUTH KOREA’S SECURITY SERVICE DISPATCHED ITS “CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL TEAM TO PICK UP THE BALLOONS.

BUT THEY DID NOT CONTAIN DANGEROUS MATERIAL.

IN A COMMON RESPONSE TO THE BALLOON DROP– SOUTH KOREA ONCE AGAIN BLASTED K-POP SONGS AND PROPAGANDA MESSAGES ALONG THE BORDER.

TENSIONS CONTINUE TO RISE BETWEEN THE TWO ADVERSARIES AS NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR TESTING RAMPS UP AND SOUTH KOREA EXPANDS JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES WITH THE U-S.

FOR MORE ON THE ONGOING TENSIONS BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM.