Flights in and out of Incheon, South Korea, were paused for hours early Wednesday when balloons presumably sent by North Korea began descending on the city's airport. More than 1,500 balloons carrying trash, excrement, dirt, worms, and "slashed 'western' clothes" have landed across the country since late May, per the BBC. On Wednesday, three runways at Incheon International Airport, about 25 miles from the North Korean border, were temporarily shut down after a balloon landed on the tarmac near Terminal 2, reports the Guardian. Several other balloons were seen in and around the airport, a rep said.
The balloons disrupted airport traffic from roughly 1:45am to 4:45am, the Guardian reports, noting eight arriving flights had to be diverted to other airports in South Korea. One China Cargo plane was diverted to Yantai, China. "Northerly or northwesterly winds, favorable for North Korean balloon launches," were occurring this week, per the AP. The military said roughly 100 balloons had arrived in the country between Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly in Gyeonggi province, with Seoul at its center. "Most carried just scraps of paper," per the Guardian.
Still, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff threatened to again launch anti-North Korea propaganda broadcasts using loudspeakers at the border, per CNN. Whether the broadcasts resume is "up to North Korea's actions," the statement said. North Korea has said its balloon deliveries come in response to similar balloons sent across the border by the South. Activists have used trackable balloons to send messages, leaflets criticizing the North's leadership, and even K-pop music. (CNN has more on the process.)
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