Fires ignited by North Korea's trash balloons likely accidental: South's military

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Fires ignited by North Korea's trash balloons likely accidental: South's military

Published: 10 Sep. 2024, 15:57

SEO JI-EUN
seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr

A suspected timer from a North Korean trash balloon was found at a factory near Gimpo Airport on Monday, where a fire had broken out last Thursday. [YONHAP]

The South Korean military believes recent fires attributed to trash-laden balloons from North Korea were ignited accidentally.

On Monday, debris suspected to be from a North Korean balloon was discovered on the roof of a factory near Gimpo Airport, on the western outskirts of Seoul, where a blaze last Thursday resulted in an estimated 100 ($74,000) to 200 million won in property damage.

The blaze, which began at around 3:30 a.m., damaged the building of the auto parts plant, which is located just two (1.24 miles) or three kilometers from Gimpo Airport, a commercially important and militarily strategic airfield. Firefighters needed an hour and 17 minutes to extinguish the fire.

Fire authorities are still investigating the blaze.

An Aug. 8 fire at a warehouse in Paju, Gyeonggi, which was caused by a North Korean balloon landing on its roof, resulted in 87.3 million won in damages.

The military believes that malfunctioning "heat timers" used to burn through the trash bags carried by the balloons to scatter their contents are to blame.

"The fires might have occurred while the heat timer attached to the balloon ignites the wire meant to separate the balloon from its payload," said Lee Chang-hyun, a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson, during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Lee said the timers on the balloons function differently from explosive detonators.

"The timer attached to the balloon is designed to heat the plastic after a certain period," he said, adding that "no flammable materials or explosives have been detected so far."

North Korea sent trash-laden balloons across the border over five consecutive days from Sept. 4 through Sunday. Authorities believe the regime launched over 1,600 balloons during this period.

According to the JCS, the balloons are designed to scatter trash over a wide area, but when the attached heat timers malfunction, they can land prematurely and cause fires.

Each balloon carries a plastic bag filled with waste connected to a wire attached to a heat timer. After a set period, the timer generates heat, burning the plastic and dispersing their payloads mid-air.

If the heat timer malfunctions — such as when the balloon deflates and crashes before the timer activates — the heat could be released on the ground instead of in the air, increasing the risk of fire, particularly if flammable materials are nearby.

With the dry autumn season approaching, some experts warn that the trash balloons could ignite destructive wildfires.

In light of these risks, there have been calls to strengthen the military's response, regardless of whether the fires are intentional.

The military, however, has decided to stick with its current strategy of collecting the balloons after they land.

"Shooting down the balloons mid-air could lead to falling debris or stray bullets, so we believe that the safest approach is to let them land naturally and retrieve them as quickly as possible," the JCS spokesperson said. "We will work closely with the police to develop preventive measures to minimize potential damage."

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]