North Korean Trash Balloons Briefly Close Seoul Airport Runways

Takeoffs and landings at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport were disrupted for about three hours before dawn on Wednesday due to balloons launched from North Korea filled with refuse, according to an airport spokesperson.

One balloon landed on the tarmac near passenger Terminal 2, leading to a temporary shutdown of the three runways at Incheon. This incident is part of a larger pattern, as North Korea has been sending balloons carrying trash into South Korea since late May, with hundreds landing in the country.

Several balloons were spotted within the airport boundaries, causing the disruption. The airport, located about 40 kilometers from the North Korean border, has faced similar interruptions in the past due to balloons.

The disruption affected domestic and international flights between 1:46 a.m. and 4:44 a.m., but the runways have since reopened, according to the Incheon International Airport Corporation. Although flight volume is typically low during those hours, FlightRadar24 data showed that eight arriving cargo and passenger flights were diverted to other South Korean airports such as Cheongju and Jeju, and one China Cargo freighter from Shanghai was diverted to Yantai, China. Several more landings were delayed, and departures were pushed back by several hours.

North Korea claims the balloons are in retaliation for a propaganda campaign by defectors and activists in South Korea who send balloons carrying food, medicine, money, and leaflets criticizing North Korea’s leaders. The North Korean balloons have carried various items, including articles printed with Hello Kitty characters, worn clothing, and soil containing traces of human feces and parasites.

South Korea’s military reported that about 100 balloons had fallen between Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly in the capital, Seoul, and the surrounding Gyeonggi province. Most of these balloons carried only scraps of paper.