North Korea bookends Chuseok holiday with more trash balloon launches | NK News
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September 19, 2026Sep 19, 2026

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North Korea bookends Chuseok holiday with more trash balloon launches

Launches Wednesday follow consecutive days of barrages at beginning of holiday but no accidents, major damage reported

North Korea launched another round of trash-filled balloons on the last day of the Chuseok fall harvest holiday, according to the South Korean military.

The ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced at around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday that the DPRK had carried out more balloon barrages, the 21st launch since late May. 

The ROK military spotted around 160 balloons, with around 30 falling in South Korea, local media reported, citing the JCS. It also stated that the contents of Wednesday’s balloons were mostly paper and plastic waste again, with no hazardous materials found. 

The Chuseok holiday fell from Monday