Why Does Kim Jong Un Keep Sending Trash Balloons to the South?

Starting in late May of this year, North Korea has been releasing thousands of balloons filled with trash towards South Korea. North Korea argues that this balloon launch is a form of retaliation against anti-North Korea leaflets distributed by North Korean defectors and activists in South. In response, since July 21, the South Korean military has been countering with daily broadcasts of anti-North Korean propaganda through loudspeakers along the border.

The release of trash balloons seems odd for North Korea, especially when compared to their usual provocations like missile launches. This action seems to have little impact, making it puzzling why North Korea has chosen to do it now. What could be the motive behind this unprecedented move?

North Korea's ongoing launch of trash balloons into South Korea is a part of North Korea's psychological warfare strategy, aimed to disturb the South Korean population and foster discontent with the Yoon administration's policies towards North Korea. President Yoon's firm position against the North, such as daily anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts and his recent "freedom-based unification" doctrine, poses a major threat to the Kim regime.

South Korean citizens have been receiving numerous warning text messages sent by the government whenever the North launches the balloons. While the trash balloons themselves cause minimal physical damage, they can have a psychological and emotional impact on South Koreans, gradually wearing them down.

Kim Jong Un's ultimate goal is to incite social unrest and discontent within South Korean society through collaboration with South Korea's liberal opposition parties, in an attempt to facilitate the impeachment of President Yoon. Kim is clearly aware of the significance of psychological warfare and its potential to end his regime if he fails to respond to Yoon's initiatives.

Amid the Cold War-style psychological warfare between the two Koreas, it is imperative for the Yoon administration to remain resilient against the Kim regime's persistent provocations and the growing internal pressures within South Korean society. South Korea must persist in conveying a message of hope and freedom to the North Korean people, which the Kim regime fears the most.

History shows that the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was achieved through information operations and the promotion of a message of freedom rather than military force, leading to the fall of the Soviet Union. It is often said that history repeats itself. Should South Korea persist in illuminating the path of freedom for the North Korean people, despite internal and external pressures, the Kim regime will ultimately face the same fate like that of the Soviet Union.

Author: B.J. Choi, founder of NVNK, obtained his Master's degree in Asian Studies from the George Washington University. He previously worked for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) on North Korea issues.