North Korean balloons containing GPS transmitters floated across to South: Report

By Sam Kim

South Korea has found GPS transmitters in some of North Korea’s balloons floated across the border, Yonhap News reported Sunday, a possible bid by Pyongyang to enhance the precision of efforts to dump trash and gather data.

North Korea has been sending thousands of balloons that contain leaflets and trash in recent months, calling it a response to South Korean activists conducting similar activities. Some of the balloons collected by South Korea’s military have contained GPS devices, Yonhap said, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Defense Ministry in Seoul didn’t immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

The balloons have been the latest chapter in the relations between the two Koreas that remain fraught with tension. North Korea said earlier this month that South Korea has sent drones over Pyongyang and scattered propaganda leaflets. South Korea’s defense minister declined to confirm whether his side had done so.

In a statement released via official media during the weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, warned of a “horrible disaster” should another drone be discovered over Pyongyang. In a television interview on Sunday, South Korea’s presidential security adviser, Shin Wonsik, dismissed North Korea’s threats as little worth paying attention to.