Continuing Drops of ‘Garbage Balloons’ from North Korea, Will the UN Command Only Watch from the Sidelines?

: Suspension of the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement by the Yoon Seok-yeol Administration is a Violation of the Armistice Agreement

*The tense atmosphere at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). @iStock 

Il Young Jeong

Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University

Tensions are rising again on the Korean Peninsula. South Korean anti-North Korean groups are sending leaflets criticizing the Kim Jeong-un regime to the North, and in response, North Korea is continuously sending large balloons filled with garbage to the South.

In response to North Korea’s garbage balloons, the South Korean government has completely suspended the effect of the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement and is countering with the operation of loudspeakers towards the North. As inter-Korean dialogue and even communication lines are cut off, hostilities between the two Koreas are escalating, heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea’s Garbage Balloons are a Clear Military Threat

Since the end of May, North Korea has been sending large balloons filled with garbage to South Korea. These balloons are being released in such large quantities that our military and police cannot accurately count them. On July 24, the tenth garbage balloon from North Korea arrived in the South. Shockingly, one of them landed in a playground.

But there is a question: why send garbage? Regarding this, Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, criticized in a statement on May 29, "If they experience how filthy and tiring it is to pick up those (South Korean) garbage bags, they will realize that they should not dare to talk about freedom of expression lightly while playing with the distribution (of leaflets) in the border area." In summary, this is retaliation for the balloons sent by anti-North Korean groups containing leaflets and other items.

However, this incident is far too dangerous to be dismissed as mere ‘garbage throwing.’ I do not believe North Korea sent garbage simply to ‘vent anger.’ This is a serious military threat. North Korea has dropped hundreds of ‘suspicious materials’ in the capital area, penetrating our air defense system without resistance. Any South Korean citizen must have briefly wondered, ‘What if those balloons contained chemical or biological weapons?’

The South Korean Military Failed to Intercept ‘Suspicious Materials’ Balloons

I believe North Korea’s garbage balloons are a clear military threat disguised as ‘venting anger’ and a warning. How did our military initially respond to such a serious incident? How could North Korean balloons penetrate our air defense system?

Regarding this, Lee Seong-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated at a regular briefing on May 30, “Shooting down the balloons could cause damage due to the falling force,” adding, “There could be dangerous materials inside. If they spread, they would be harder to recover.”

This statement is incomprehensible. Despite judging that ‘the balloons could contain dangerous materials,’ did they intentionally not shoot them down at the front line and waited until the possible dangerous materials were dropped in Seoul? I believe our military’s response to the North Korean balloons was extremely complacent.

The military’s point that shooting them down could lead to another conflict between the two Koreas is valid. However, shooting down North Korean balloons is not the only option. It is shocking that our military did not prepare any response other than shooting them down. The Yoon administration must thoroughly investigate the incident of the garbage balloons coming south and present measures that can satisfy our citizens.

Suspension of the Entire 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement by the Yoon Administration: Do They Want a Clash?

The measure taken by the government, which failed to intercept North Korea’s garbage balloons, is to suspend the entire effect of the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement. On June 4, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo decided at a Cabinet meeting to suspend the entire effect of the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement ‘until mutual trust between the two Koreas is restored.’ President Yoon Seok-yeol immediately approved this.

In the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement signed in 2018, the two Koreas agreed to “completely cease all hostile acts against the other in all spaces, including land, sea, and air” and “not to invade, attack, or occupy the other’s territory by any means or methods.” However, the Yoon administration already suspended part of the effect of the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement in November 2023.

What is incomprehensible is that the Yoon administration, which failed to intercept North Korea’s dangerous balloons, did not demand compliance with the 9.19 military agreement from North Korea but rather removed the remaining safety devices themselves. If the 9.19 military agreement had been in effect, North Korea’s massive southward launch of garbage balloons would not have occurred.

In the end, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration dismantled the military safety device in the inter-Korean border area. Now, a dangerous situation where physical clashes between the two Koreas could occur at any time is unfolding on the Korean Peninsula.

Will the United Nations Command(UNC) Neglect Violations of the Armistice Agreement by Both Koreas?

A bigger problem is that the suspension of the 9.19 military agreement by the South Korean government violates the Armistice Agreement. Why is that?

The Armistice Agreement, signed on July 27, 1953, stipulates that to ensure “the establishment of a complete cessation of all hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved,” both sides shall “cease all hostile acts against each other in and over all areas, including the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).”

In reality, the complete cessation of hostilities and all acts of armed force stipulated by the Armistice Agreement has been rendered ineffective as both Koreas have ‘militarized’ the DMZ. This continued until the signing of the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement. For this reason, the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement operates together with the Armistice Agreement.

Given that the 9.19 military agreement revived the clause of “complete cessation of all hostile acts and all acts of armed force” stipulated by the Armistice Agreement, the suspension or termination of the 9.19 military agreement is directly linked to a violation of the Armistice Agreement. This is why the Yoon Seok-yeol administration stopped at suspending part of the effect of the 9.19 military agreement instead of terminating it in 2023.

Now, the United Nations Command must provide a responsible response to this issue. Fortunately, the United Nations Command stated that “North Korea’s balloon launch of garbage violates the Armistice Agreement” and will conduct an official investigation, with the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission also observing. The United Nations Command must mediate recent violations of the Armistice Agreement by both Koreas responsibly. Moreover, any actions by either Korea that undermine the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement must be addressed as violations of the Armistice Agreement.

*IL-Young Jeong is a research professor at Sogang University in Seoul. His key research interests include North Korea's social control system, inter-Korean relations, and peace on the Korean Peninsula.