North Korea’s trash-filled balloons cause South Korea’s Incheon international airport runways to briefly shut down

Flight delays due to bad weather, security scares or medical emergencies are the usual culprits we have all grown accustomed to. But leave it to North Korea to find innovative ways to pop the flyers’ balloons.

Early Wednesday morning, South Korea’s Incheon International Airport faced an unusual disruption, as operations were halted for about three hours due to balloons launched from North Korea. According to an airport spokesperson, these balloons, filled with trash, interfered with flight schedules before dawn, Reuters reported.

One of the balloons landed on the tarmac close to Terminal 2, prompting the temporary closure of three runways. The presence of several other balloons within the airport’s perimeter exacerbated the situation, leading to a shutdown that affected domestic and international flights.

The disruption spanned from 1:46 a.m. to 4:44 a.m., causing significant delays for several flights. During this period, incoming and outgoing aeroplanes were held back, and normal operations resumed only after the runways were declared safe, as reported by the Incheon International Airport Corporation.

Fortunately, flight activity during these early hours is typically low. Data from FlightRadar24 indicated that eight incoming cargo and passenger flights were diverted to Cheongju or Jeju airports within South Korea. Additionally, a China Cargo freighter from Shanghai was redirected to Yantai, China.

This incident isn’t unprecedented for the airport, situated approximately 40 kilometres from the North Korean border. Similar disruptions have occurred previously due to balloon intrusions, the spokesperson noted.

Since late May, North Korea has been sending balloons carrying refuse into South Korea. These acts are allegedly in retaliation for propaganda activities by defectors and activists in the South, who dispatch balloons carrying food, medicine, money and leaflets critical of North Korea’s leadership.

Items found in the North Korean balloons have included whimsical objects like Hello Kitty-themed articles, heavily worn clothes, and soil tainted with human faeces and parasites, according to South Korean authorities.