We now know likely why a fire was started by one of North Korea’s trash balloons that landed on a building in South Korea:
Timer devices on some North Korean trash-carrying balloons could cause fires, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, amid a series of fires in the country suspected to be caused by the balloons.
On Monday, firefighters put out a blaze that began on the rooftop of a warehouse in Paju, 27 kilometers northwest of Seoul, after a North Korean trash balloon landed there, renewing concerns whether the balloons or the substances they drop could be a fire hazard.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson said some North Korean balloons have dropped bundles of trash using devices that heat up and disconnect the garbage after a certain period of time, noting they could lead to fires if they land on surfaces without properly separating.
You can read more at the link, but clearly this incident shows how the trash balloons can be weaponized to become a more provocative gray zone weapon. Similar to the Imperial Japanese using balloons to start forest fires in the Pacific Northwest during World War II, these trash balloons could easily be used to start forest fires in South Korea.
Even worse would be if these balloons were launched during conflict to complicate aviation and integrated air and missile defense targeting over South Korea. These balloons clearly have a lot more military potential than just the nuisance they appear to be today.
N. Korea marks its founding anniversary A meeting and an evening gala take place at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Sept. 8, 2024, one day ahead of North Korea’s 76th birthday, in this photo provided by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. (Yonhap)
Fire by N. Korean balloon This photo provided by the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire Service, shows the ceiling of a storehouse damaged by a fire after a balloon sent by North Korea hit it in Paju, 30 kilometers north of Seoul, on Sept. 8, 2024. (Yonhap)
North Korea sent more trash balloons toward South Korea on Sunday, the South’s military said, in what marked the fifth straight day of such launches.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North resumed its balloon campaign at around 9 a.m., just hours after it floated some 200 balloons late Saturday.
“Considering the safety of our people as the top priority, the military will resolutely and calmly respond in accordance with the manual,” the JCS said.
In response to the balloon launches, the South’s military has been blasting daily anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers on the border since July 21. It has refrained from directly shooting down the balloons, citing safety concerns.
Around 50 trash bundles landed in the capital and Gyeonggi Province from Saturday’s launch, but no hazardous materials have been found, the JCS said. They largely contained scrap paper, pieces of plastic and plastic bottles.
Executions like this is why many of the ruling elite in South Korea are supposedly becoming disillusioned with the Kim regime:
South Korea’s spy agency said Wednesday it is closely monitoring signs of North Korea executing multiple officials to hold them accountable over heavy flood damage earlier this year.
At an emergency party politburo meeting in late July, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he will punish officials for the damage from heavy rains that flooded areas in the northern provinces of Jagang and North Phyongan and displaced thousands.
The National Intelligence Service said it is closely monitoring the situation after detecting signs of the executions.
Kang Pong-hun, the former chief secretary of the Jagang Provincial Committee of the North’s ruling party, is believed to be possibly among the executed officials.
Hopefully no ROK Heads reading this from Korea finds a bag of shit on their doorstep today:
North Korea again launched balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea on Wednesday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, marking a resumption of its trash-balloon campaign after a near monthlong halt.
The JCS said an unspecified number of balloons could travel to northern Gyeonggi Province, just north of Seoul, and advised the public not to touch fallen balloons and report them to the military or police.
Since late May, the North has launched thousands of balloons carrying trash in a tit-for-tat move against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea. Pyongyang last launched such balloons on Aug. 10.
This regime elites may be disillusioned, but will they actually do anything about it? It appears not really because very few have defected or spoke out against the Kim regime:
More North Korean elites are “disillusioned” with the Kim Jong-un regime, as they feel anxious on concerns that any small mishap could deprive them of their lives under his leadership, a former North Korean diplomat said Tuesday.
Ri Il-gyu, a former counselor of political affairs at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, made the remark in a session during the Global Korea Forum (GKF), a global forum hosted by the unification ministry and designed to garner international support for South Korea’s bid for peaceful unification.
“Perception by the North’s elite group toward the regime has changed a lot,” Ri said. “They are disillusioned with Kim’s impromptu behaviors. Even with doing something wrong a little bit, North Korea shoots them to death.”
