The military to focus on stabling situation amid N. Korea's trash balloons

[Anchor]

The DPRK continues to send garbage balloons, deepening the military's concerns.

While preparing a phased response that includes military measures, the military's policy is reportedly to focus on stabling the situation for now.

Reporter Yoo Ho-yoon has the story.

[Report]

[Lee Seong-joon/Director of Public Affairs, Joint Chiefs of Staff/Sept. 23: "(DPRK) If serious harm to the safety of our citizens occurs due to garbage balloons or if we determine that a line has been crossed, our military will implement decisive military measures."]

Despite repeated warnings, as the DPRK continues to send garbage balloons, the military mentioned military measures for the first time at the end of last month.

They stated that if the red line set by the military is crossed, which includes scenarios where bacteria or harmful chemicals are sent in balloons or situations where our citizens die due to the balloons, they will take military action.

For now, they plan to prepare available options in phases and will choose a response method should a situation arise.

[Lee Seong-joon/Director of Public Affairs, Joint Chiefs of Staff/Oct. 7: "We will judge whether a line has been crossed or not, and we will implement measures accordingly, but it is difficult to discuss specific details in advance."]

However, the military is also deeply concerned about how to respond to provocations in the current gray area.

Some suggest countermeasures such as intercepting balloons coming from the front areas to the south, but this poses the risk of giving the DPRK a pretext for high-intensity provocations.

The military believes that maintaining strategic ambiguity and responding politically is the right approach rather than specifically mentioning military response plans at this time.

Since the DPRK has not yet mentioned garbage balloons in the state media viewed by the locals, the military's measures revolve around managing the situation and reviewing the level of response.

This is KBS News, Yoo Ho-yoon.