In a continued display of animosity between North and South Korea, North Korea resumed flying balloons on Saturday, aimed at dropping trash on South Korean territory once again. The move comes just two days after Seoul activists floated their own balloons, scattering propaganda leaflets into North Korea.

Tensions have escalated between the two Koreas due to North Korea's previous launches of hundreds of balloons carrying manure and trash towards South Korea, in protest of civilian leafletting campaigns. In response, South Korea suspended a tension-easing agreement with North Korea that aimed to restore front-line military activities.

These recent balloon launches mark the third such incident since May 28. It is currently unknown if any of the North Korean balloons have landed on South Korean territory across the tense border. However, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the balloons were moving eastward, but could potentially change direction and head south as wind patterns were forecasted to shift.

Concerned for public safety, the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged citizens to be wary of falling objects and advised against touching any balloons found on the ground. Instead, they encouraged individuals to report them to the police or military authorities.

Following previous rounds of balloon activities, South Korean authorities discovered approximately 1,000 balloons containing manure, cigarette butts, waste batteries, scraps of cloth, and waste papers. While no highly dangerous materials were found, some balloons were popped, scattering their contents on roads, residential areas, and schools. Fortunately, no major damages have been reported.

North Korea's vice defense minister, Kim Kang Il, had previously stated that his country would halt the balloon campaign. However, he also threatened to resume it if South Korean activists continued sending leaflets. Ignoring the warning, a South Korean civilian group, led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak, launched 10 balloons on Thursday, carrying 200,000 anti-North Korean leaflets, USB sticks with K-pop songs and South Korean dramas, as well as $1 USD bills. Additional reports stated that another activist group flew balloons with 200,000 propaganda leaflets towards North Korea on Friday.

South Korean officials strongly condemned North Korea's trash balloon launches and recent provocations, describing them as "absurd" and "irrational." In response, South Korea has suspended the 2018 military agreement with North Korea, which will allow the restart of live-fire military drills and anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts at border areas. This action is anticipated to anger North Korea and potentially prompt its own retaliatory military steps.

North Korea has a deep sensitivity towards South Korean civilian leafletting campaigns and front-line propaganda broadcasts, as it restricts access to foreign news for its population of around 26 million. Additionally, experts believe that North Korea's balloon campaign aims to create division within South Korea over its conservative government's tough approach towards North Korea.

While liberal lawmakers, civic groups, and front-line residents in South Korea have called on the government to discourage leafleting activists from flying balloons to avoid unnecessary clashes, government officials have refrained from making such appeals. This aligns with last year's constitutional court ruling, which struck down a law criminalizing anti-North Korea leafletting as a violation of free speech.

The uneasy exchange of balloon launches between the two Koreas highlights the ongoing tensions and conflicts that persist on the Korean Peninsula. As North Korea continues its provocative actions, the delicate balance between the two nations remains fraught with uncertainty and the potential for further escalation.