North Korea accused South Korea of dropping the flyers

13 October, 2024 A drone in the sky over Pyongyang. Photo credits: Rodong North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over its capital to drop anti-North Korean propaganda flyers.

The statement was published in the official publication of the Workers' Party of Korea. The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that South Korean drones were detected in the night sky over Pyongyang on October 3, 10, and 11, 2024. The Ministry accused South Korea of violating North Korea's "sacred" sovereignty and threatening its security.

It also called the flights a "dangerous provocation" that could escalate into an armed conflict and even war.

The flyers dropped on Pyongyang. Photo credits: Rodong

According to the statement, North Korean forces will prepare "all means of attack" capable of destroying the southern side of the border and the South Korean military. They will respond without warning if South Korean drones are again detected in its territory.

"The fuse on our trigger has already been removed," the Ministry said. According to the Washington Post, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun denied that Seoul was involved in these events. He stated that he was still trying to assess the situation and did not elaborate on the details.

In December 2022, several North Korean drones entered the airspace of South Korea. The drones crossed the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas and were spotted in the Gimpo, Ganghwa Island, and Paju districts, temporarily suspending civilian flights from local airports. Fighters, attack helicopters, and other warplanes of the armed forces of the Republic of Korea were launched into the air to intercept drones from the DPRK.

Since the spring of 2024, the DPRK has been launching balloons with garbage bags attached to them toward South Korea. One of the largest attacks using balloons with garbage occurred on May 28 and 29, 2024, when over two hundred balloons crossed the inter-Korean border.

Garbage balloons used by the DPRK to attack the Republic of Korea. May 29, 2024.

Photo credits: South Korean media

The South Korean military does not shoot down these balloons because they cannot rule out that they contain hazardous substances, which would then be dispersed over a large area.

Instead, the bags of garbage are collected after they fall.