(LEAD) N. Korea launches some 120 trash balloons toward S. Korea: JCS

▲ Garbage-carrying balloons sent by North Korea are spotted flying over Seoul on Oct. 1, 2024, one day after South Korea marked Armed Forces Day displaying its strategic weapons. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-trash balloons

(LEAD) N. Korea launches some 120 trash balloons toward S. Korea: JCS

(ATTN: UPDATES headline, lead, details in paras 2, 3 with latest tally)

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea launched around 120 trash balloons toward South Korea early Monday, the South's military said, just three days after a similar launch last week.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it discovered some 80 trash bundles dropped around parts of Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province after the latest launch that began in the early hours of the morning.

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

Since late May, the North has sent more than 5,000 balloons across the border toward South Korea over 25 occasions. In its previous launch on Friday, the North sent some 320 balloons.

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.

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 21. It has refrained from directly shooting down the balloons, citing safety concerns.

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