Garbage carried by a North Korean balloon is falling again on the presidential compound in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Garbage carried by a North Korean balloon fell on the presidential compound in central Seoul on Thursday, South Korean officials said.

It is the second such case since North Korea began floating balloons carrying garbage toward South Korea in late May in a resumption of Cold War-style psychological campaigning.

South Korea’s presidential security service said the trash that fell at the presidential compound Thursday morning did not contain dangerous items.

It was not immediately known if President Yoon Suk Yeol was at the compound at the time of the North Korean balloon’s landing.

Experts say North Korea likely lacks the sophisticated technology to launch balloons at specific targets.

South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo reported earlier Thursday that North Korea’s latest balloons contained propaganda leaflets criticizing President Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee along with garbage.

The newspapers said the leaflets were scattered in areas of Seoul’s Yongsan district, where Yoon’s presidential office is located, and noted that North Korea has recently started using GPS technology to more accurately launch balloons to planned places.

North Korea has previously accused South Korea of ​​infiltrating drones to drop propaganda leaflets on Pyongyang three times this month and has threatened to respond with force if it happened again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it has sent drones, but has warned that North Korea will face the end of its regime if the safety of South Korean citizens is threatened.

In July, debris carried by at least one North Korean balloon landed on the Korean presidential compound, raising concerns about the security of key South Korean facilities. South Korean officials said at the time that the trash contained no hazardous material and that no one was injured.