South Korea’s Seoul Contemplates Involvement in Ukraine Conflict Amid Garbage Balloon Deliveries from North Korea

Over 1,000 North Korean balloons carrying debris have flown over the skies of South Korea. Some contained human and animal feces, while others had used toilet paper and dirty clothes from South Korean brands. Recently, 350 garbage balloons crossed from North to South, with at least a hundred falling in regions near the border with North Korea. This action is seen as retaliation for South Korean activists sending anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets.

Pyongyang resumed launching junk balloons after Russian President Putin’s visit to North Korea, where a mutual military assistance pact was signed with Kim Jong-un. This agreement has raised concerns and tensions in the region, with the US, South Korea, and Japan condemning the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. South Korea even considered sending weapons to Ukraine in response to the pact.

In light of the pact between Putin and Kim, Seoul has begun to reconsider its traditional pacifist policy of not supplying lethal weapons to conflict zones. South Korea has supported Ukraine by sending humanitarian aid and joining Western sanctions against Russia but faces the risk of Moscow providing military support to North Korea in response to arms supplies to Ukraine.

As tensions rise in the region, with Moscow and Pyongyang forming closer ties, Seoul and Moscow have exchanged warnings and diplomatic protests. The presence of a US Navy aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula for upcoming trilateral exercises with South Korea and Japan underscores the growing concerns over the security situation in the region. In the midst of these geopolitical developments, South Korea’s traditional stance on arms exports and military support is being reassessed in response to changing dynamics in East Asia.