(LEAD) N. Korea sends some 40 trash balloons toward S. Korea: JCS

▲ Balloons presumed to be carrying trash float over Seoul on Oct. 8, 2024. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-trash balloons

(LEAD) N. Korea sends some 40 trash balloons toward S. Korea: JCS

(ATTN: UPDATES headline, lead, paras 2-3 with details)

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea launched around 40 balloons carrying trash toward South Korea early Friday, the South's military said, just three days after a similar launch.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it discovered "multiple" pieces of trash bundles dropped around parts of the inter-Korean border county of Cheorwon in Gangwon Province after the latest launch that began late Thursday.

It said the bundles consisted of household garbage, such as scrap paper and plastic, while no hazardous substances have been detected.

Since late May, the North has launched thousands of trash balloons to South Korea. In its last launch on Tuesday, it sent about 100 such balloons.

In response to the balloon launches, the South's military has been blasting daily anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers along the border since July. It has refrained from directly shooting down the balloons, citing safety concerns.

South Korea's military has vowed to take "stern" military measures should North Korea "cross the line" with its ongoing trash balloon campaign or inflict serious damage to the South Korean people.

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