North Korea trash balloons contained parasites and ruined clothes

More than 1,500 balloons have been sent into South Korea from the North since May, officials say.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUK General ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessFuture of BusinessTechnology of BusinessWork CultureInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersParasites and old clothes in North Korea trash balloons 2 hours agoBy Tom McArthur, BBC NewsShareYonhapParasites from human waste and defaced Hello Kitty clothing have been found in bags of rubbish carried by North Korean balloons into South Korea, officials say.

More than 1,500 waste-carrying balloons have been released by Pyongyang across the border since May, in retaliation for a leaflet campaign sent northwards by opponents of North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.

Analysis of some of the balloon packages detected “roundworms, whipworms and threadworms" in the soil.

The chance of infection from the parasites in the packages is low, South Korea’s ministry of unification assured people.

Other items carried by the balloons included slashed “western” clothes that had been donated from the South - including items featuring Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Hello Kitty characters, according to Reuters news agency. There were also socks, clothes and heavily patched-up children’s clothes.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj777rvym8eo

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