Despite the signing of a peace agreement between the two Koreas, the inter-Korean conflict has been going on since the 50s of the 20th century. The reason for the hostilities was the division of a country into North and South Korea after the end of World War II.
The demarcation line between North and South Korea
The Soviet Union became an ally of North Korea, while the United States took control of South Korea. Since then, North Korea has lived a closed lifestyle.
Unlike North Korea, South Korea is a completely open and developed industrial country, and its culture is spreading and popularizing all over the world.
But isolation and tensions do not mean that the two countries are completely disengaged. Beginning on May 28, 2024, information began to appear in the media: "North Korea is launching white balloons with bags on South Korea." ”
According to the data received, the number of balloons launched by the DPRK reached 900 pieces. Not knowing what was in the bag, South Korea did not shoot down these "gifts" for the safety of the population, but waited until they all fell to the ground. Still, it's a beautiful sight!
So, the Korean side opened the bag and found that there was garbage and feces inside. Cigarette butts, plastic, and paper were found in the garbage. These are the "gifts"! Encountering such an aerial gift, no one was harmed, and it was okay. But why is North Korea engaging in such strange activities? The answer is simple.
This is a sign of "politeness" and "gratitude" for receiving Korean gifts in the past. Despite various bans imposed by South Korea, balloons with leaflets regularly fly into North Korea that discredit the current government and talk about the need for a transition to a democratic system.
In addition, the South Korean side transmitted flash drives of dramas and Korean pop music banned by North Korea. They also sent bags of rice, banknotes, various humanitarian aid, and in 2022 medical masks as aid in response to the pandemic.
But the residents and government of the DPRK thanked their neighbors for their "gifts" in a unique way, and included the following text in the gifts they sent: "This is a gift from the bottom of my heart. The leaflets received were "political smears", so our "gifts" corresponded to the "gifts" that were sent to us. This may be the counterattack of North Korean culture.
In South Korea, they believe that the received gifts threaten national security, but most importantly, cause shame among residents. There are even statements that such acts undermine the terms of the peace agreement.
Therefore, taking into account the already tense relations between the two countries, it is not clear what the outcome of these "surprising" balloons will be. But no one wants such an exchange of gifts to not lead to a new escalation of the conflict.