North Korean trash balloons disrupt Seoul's Incheon airport operations
Operations at South Korea's Incheon International Airport were temporarily halted for approximately three hours due to refuse-filled balloons launched by North Korea, as stated by an airport spokesperson. The disruption occurred on Wednesday when one such balloon landed on the tarmac near passenger Terminal 2, leading to the shutdown of all three runways. This is not an isolated incident, with similar disruptions caused by North Korean balloons since late May.
Flight disruptions and diversions due to balloon incident
The balloon incident affected both domestic and international flights between 1:46am and 4:44am, leading to the closure of the runways. According to Incheon International Airport Corporation, the runways have since reopened. FlightRadar24 data revealed that eight cargo and passenger flights were diverted to Cheongju or Jeju airports in South Korea during this period, with a China Cargo freighter from Shanghai being rerouted to Yantai, China.
North Korea's retaliatory balloon launches cause delays
North Korea has claimed that these balloon launches are a retaliation against a propaganda campaign by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea. These activists regularly send balloons carrying food, medicine, money, and leaflets criticizing the North's leaders into North Korean territory. The retaliatory balloons from the North have caused several flight landings to be delayed, leading to departure delays of several hours.
Contents of North Korean balloons revealed
South Korean authorities have reported that the balloons from North Korea contained items such as articles printed with Hello Kitty characters, badly worn clothing, and soil containing traces of human feces and parasites. On Wednesday alone, South Korea's military reported that about 100 balloons had fallen to the ground between Tuesday and Wednesday. These balloons mostly landed in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi province, carrying primarily scraps of paper.
