Around 200 Kim Jong Il badges found near Incheon International Airport on Thursday were proven to be fake, South Korean media reported last week.

After the badges were found, South Korean authorities soon held a joint investigation and by comparing their shapes, concluded that the badges were fake souvenirs made in China with no North Korean ties, multiple South Korean media – including SBS – reported.

When the story originally appeared, some suspected the badges may have been deliberately dropped by North Korean balloons, due to their location close to the border north of Incheon.

However, the three government authorities who were part of the investigation refused