North Korea's 'Human Waste Balloons' to South Korea Found to Contain Parasites, Signaling Hostility (Chosun Ilbo)

It has been revealed that parasites, including roundworms and whipworms, were detected in human excrement found in so-called 'dung balloons' launched by North Korea towards South Korea.

In its 'Analysis Results of Dung Dispersed by North Korea' released on the 24th, the South Korean Ministry of Unification announced, "As a result of analyzing the contents of the dung balloons launched by North Korea by a specialized institution, numerous parasites such as roundworms and whipworms were detected in the soil contained in the dung." According to the Ministry of Unification, "Considering that human genes were found in the soil, it is likely that these parasites were present in human excrement."

However, it was explained that since the amount of soil in these balloons was small, "it is deemed that there are no concerns regarding soil contamination or infectious diseases caused by the balloons that have flown over."

The Ministry of Unification stated, "Most of the dung balloons launched by North Korea were not ordinary garbage but rather 'dispersion garbage' hastily made using wastepaper, vinyl, and cloth scraps." As evidence, they explained that the labels and caps of plastic bottles were removed. Furthermore, a large quantity of clothing from a South Korean company that has been providing clothing support to North Korea since 2000 was found inside the balloons, but all of them were cut with scissors or knives. This seems to be a blatant display of hostility towards South Korean products.

Among the garbage, there were many items that provided a glimpse into the harsh economic conditions inside North Korea, such as old socks with numerous patches and baby pants riddled with holes. Among the clothing items, numerous counterfeit products were also confirmed, including unauthorized replicas of characters like Mickey Mouse and Pooh from the American Walt Disney Company and Hello Kitty from Japan's Sanrio Company.

Meanwhile, the discovery of covers of documents related to the 'Kim Jong-il (金正日) and Kim Jong-un (金正恩) idolization' in the dung balloons is noteworthy. Wastepaper included documents with inscriptions like "Instructions of the Great Leader Kim Jong-il" and documents seemingly related to the activities of Kim Jong-un, such as "General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (North Korean title for General Secretary)." According to North Korean law, "damaging documents containing the instructions of the leader" is a serious crime that can carry the death penalty in the worst-case scenario.

In response to the anti-North Korea leaflets dispersed by the South Korean side last month, North Korea launched 'dung balloons' filled with dung and garbage towards the South Korean side four times from May 28th to June 9th.