Takeoffs and landings at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport were disrupted on Wednesday for about three hours before dawn because of balloons launched by North Korea filled with refuse, an airport spokesperson said.
North Korea has flown balloons carrying trash into South Korea since late May, with hundreds landing in South Korea.
The disruption to domestic and international flights occurred between 1:46 a.m. and 4:44 a.m., and the runways have re-opened since then, Incheon International Airport Corporation said.
North Korea has said the balloons are retaliation for a propaganda campaign by North Korean defectors and activists in the South who regularly send over balloons carrying food, medicine, money and leaflets criticizing the North’s leaders.
Among the items carried by the North Korean balloons have been articles printed with Hello Kitty characters, badly worn clothing, and soil containing traces of human feces and parasites, South Korea has said.
Persons:
Kitty
Organizations:
South Korea’s, International, Incheon International Airport Corporation, China Cargo, North
Locations:
South, North Korea, Incheon, South Korea, Korean, Jeju, Shanghai, Yantai, China, Korea, North Korean, Seoul, Gyeonggi