The filthy balloons violate WHO regulations

Lee Jung-jae
The author is an assistant professor at the School of Nursing, the University of Hong Kong.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea sent more than 2,400 balloons filled with waste and even excrement across the border into South Korea seven times since May 28. The nasty provocation by the North is being criticized by the international community.

The U.S. Department of State denounced the dispatch of trash-filled balloons as “a disgusting tactic — irresponsible, childish.” The balloons contained not only human feces but also cigarette butts, waste paper and pieces of cloth and plastics.

In response to the dispatch of dirty balloons, the government immediately suspended the effectiveness of the Sept. 19 military agreement between South and North Korea and resumed loudspeaker broadcasting across the border. Such balloons pose a serious health threat to South Korea, not to mention political and military risks. We must take special note of the recalcitrant state defying the international society’s effort to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

The filthy balloons can cause various health risks such as spreading communicable diseases and polluting the environment. Since the Arduous March in the late 1990s, North Korea has been experiencing dire public health conditions from a critical lack of medical infrastructure, malnutrition, inadequate tap water and poor sanitation.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency estimates that more than 30 percent of North Koreans are infected with communicable diseases. Whether the North intended it or not, those dirty balloons can spread bacteria, virus, worms and parasites to South Korean people.

Such viruses and bacteria can cause not only simple infectious diseases like a cold or the flu, but also serious diseases like cholera and hepatitis. If those balloons carry hazardous materials that can cause allergic reactions or respiratory disorders, they can endanger the health of children and the elderly in particular. What if North Korea chooses to send balloons filled with chemical agents across the border?

The North’s dispatch of nasty balloons violates the regulations of the World Health Organization (WHO), which the country joined in May 1973. The preamble to its Constitution stipulates, “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”

The WHO introduced international health regulations (IHR) in 2005 to effectively prevent — and control — the spread of communicable diseases and facilitate intergovernmental cooperation on public health issues. The North’s act of dispatching balloons containing human feces to the South is a clear — and serious — violation of the IHR, as it can threaten the health of South Koreans.

The government responded to the latest provocation — immediately and appropriately — to take responsibility as a member of the international body. The government must prepare for potential public health risks by closely watching any suspicious movements in the North.

Using public health as a means for political and military provocation cannot be pardoned. North Korea must realize that the provocation clearly endangers the public health of the world. It must act responsibly as a member of WHO.

The North’s dispatch of the balloons revealed the low level of its health authorities’ public health consciousness. Even when its leaders send those balloons to South Korea, its people are still pained by communicable diseases — such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, malaria, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers — or non-communicable diseases.

Ensuring the rights to life and health is the first step to protect human rights. If North Korea’s public health system improves, it can enhance the human rights of its own people. South Korea and the international community are ready to help North Korea address its gloomy public health conditions. I hope the North stops experimenting with novel provocations and take care of its own people’s health.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.