TOKYO — The defense ministers of South Korea and the United States, during talks in Tokyo, have urgently called on North Korea to halt its ongoing campaign of sending trash-carrying balloons across the border, Seoul’s defense ministry reported.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed not only the balloon issue but also strategies to bolster their defense capabilities against North Korea's broader threats. Minister Shin highlighted that the balloon launches are a violation of the Armistice Agreement and compromise South Korea’s sovereignty.
Since late May, North Korea has sent thousands of balloons filled with trash into South Korea, retaliating against anti-Pyongyang leaflets floated north by defector groups and South Korean activists. In response, South Korea has reactivated its border loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts.
The defense chiefs also condemned the illicit arms trade between Pyongyang and Moscow, stating it as a breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Additionally, they touched upon the recently signed “Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula,” noting that these guidelines lay a robust foundation for enhanced joint nuclear deterrence.
The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of a broader trilateral defense summit involving Japan, also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation under the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework, aiming to formalize security ties among the three nations. The leaders emphasized that their alliance remains stronger than ever, pledging continued collaboration for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the broader Indo-Pacific region.