Tayyaba Rehan is a student at the National Defence University. She is currently pursuing her degree in defense and strategic studies. She has worked with multiple governmental and non-governmental organizations. Her articles have been published in national as well as international publications.
The Korean Peninsula is experiencing non-kinetic hostile actions once again, as evidenced by North Korea’s use of flying trash-filled balloons onto South Korean soil. When today’s global security threats are defined by military and cyber power, and when we are witness to the ongoing interstate militarization, balloons seem like a quaint and somewhat archaic way to approach the question of threat projection and escalation. However, the current events on the Korean Peninsular such as the release of balloons containing rubbish in South Korea by North Korea have caused tensions in this part of the globe. The relations between North and South Korea have been sour for a long time. This recent provocative act has impacted many factors in both countries—politically, socially, and environmentally.
The delivery of messages and other materials through balloons across the border is not a new strategy. Both states have been employing this technique for decades to spread propaganda, such as in the case of South Korean activists, who smuggled information and goods that were aimed to subvert the North Korean Government. Due to this, South Korea’s legislative body passed a law in 2020 that criminalized launching anti-North Korea leaflets. This law was intended to diminish border friction and was a component of a diplomatic outreach to the North. However, the efficacy of this law remains questionable because activist groups have persisted in their balloon-raising campaigns, though they are less frequent.
The airspace of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has emerged as the target as well as a stage of a rather particular kind of confrontation. Since the events that started in May 2024, North Korea........