Article:
The tension between North and South Korea escalates as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, warns of a retaliatory response to a fresh South Korean civilian leafleting campaign. This signals that North Korea is likely to resume flying trash-carrying balloons across the border soon.

Since late May, North Korea has launched numerous balloons carrying waste paper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts, and even manure towards South Korea as a tit-for-tat action against South Korean activists scattering political leaflets via their own balloons. It is important to note that no hazardous materials have been discovered in these balloons.

In response to these actions, South Korea suspended a 2018 tension-reduction deal with North Korea and resumed live-fire drills at border areas. However, despite these measures, South Korean leaflets and other materials were found in border areas of North Korea once again on Sunday morning, according to a statement carried by state media from Kim Yo Jong.

Expressing her discontent, Kim Yo Jong referred to the leafleting activities as "dirty play" by the "South Korean scum" and warned that North Korea has already implemented countermeasures to address the situation. She further added that those responsible for the leafleting would face a high price for their actions.

It is worth mentioning that North Korea last sent rubbish-carrying balloons towards South Korea at the end of July. The source of the recent balloons sent to North Korea is currently unknown. For years, activist groups led by North Korean defectors have used balloons to disseminate anti-Pyongyang leaflets, USB sticks containing K-pop songs and South Korean dramas, as well as U.S. dollar bills towards North Korea.

Experts suggest that North Korea perceives these balloon campaigns as a serious provocation that threatens its leadership, as it restricts access to foreign news for the majority of its population. In response, South Korea redeployed gigantic loudspeakers along the border on June 9, resuming anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts after a six-year hiatus.

South Korean officials maintain that they do not restrict activists from flying leaflets to North Korea. This approach aligns with a 2023 constitutional court ruling that deemed a law criminalizing leafleting as a violation of free speech.

Kim Yo Jong's statement comes just a day after North Korea's Defense Ministry issued threats to enhance its nuclear capabilities and make the U.S. and South Korea pay "an unimaginably harsh price." This came as a response to the rival countries' new defense guidelines, which North Korea perceives as indicative of an intention to invade the North.

As tensions continue to rise between North and South Korea, the international community watches closely, hoping for a peaceful resolution to avoid further escalations.

Note: The generated article is based solely on the information provided and may not include all relevant details or reflect the latest developments.