Balloons, balloons, balloons! Thousands of these trash balloons over the border to the South already. What are they hoping to achieve? A campaign of psychological warfare has begun on the Korean Peninsula. The demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea is now

the front line of a dangerous and bizarre tit-for-tat. Thousands of balloons have been launched into the skies above the DMZ, while dozens of giant loudspeakers have been set up all along the border. North Korea has severed ties with the South in response to what it

calls US-backed war games and has recently blown up roads and railways which link the two countries. Here's an inside look at how this fragile border could soon deliver a foreign policy headache for the incoming Trump Administration. We are not far away from the heavily militarized border

separating North and South Korea, and right now we're on a patrol with a special force set up to find activists looking to send balloons, leaflets, and drones that way into North Korea. South Korea is trying to manage tension at the border with these daily patrols. Anyone

caught by this force faces thousands of dollars in fines or jail time for up to a year. The stakes are high because North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, considers these launches to be highly provocative. There is serious concern he will escalate things with a violent

response. Chongyong is one of the activists drawing fury from the Kim regime. He's planning to launch 100,000 leaflets into the North carrying messages personally attacking Kim Jong-un and his regime. Images like these that vilify Kim

are treated by Pyongyang as a direct attack on the nation itself. So you plan to fly this drone from South Korea into North Korea. Their aim is to pierce the Kim regime's ironclad control over information, and North Koreans found with the leaflets would likely face severe

punishment. So are you worried that, as a result of these leaflets being sent into North Korea, something serious could happen? North Korea has warned that the activists will pay a high price if the launches continue. North Korea accused Seoul of supporting the launches and responded

by sending back thousands of balloons of a different kind. In May, hundreds of giant white balloons carrying trash and excrement began to drift over from North Korea. Some have traveled as far as the presidential office in Seoul and beyond. The fear in South Korea is that the

North could one day use the balloons to send biological or chemical weapons. While Pyongyang wants to avoid war in the near term, the array of balloons instills fear and strains South Korea's military. South Korea hit back at the launches from the North by firing up

giant loudspeakers to blast K-pop across the border. The music is seen as a sore spot for Kim Jong-un, who wants to limit exposure to the outside world inside his impoverished country. One morning, villages along the DMZ woke to discover

Pyongyang had switched on giant loudspeakers of its own. A constant barrage of unbearable noises now floods the border towns day and night. [Music] [Music] What do you make of the activists who want to send balloons to North Korea? North Korea has previously

threaten artillery strikes against the South Korean loudspeakers, and the concern is that an escalating cycle of provocation may one day lead Kim to use his forces along the border. North Korea is estimated to have thousands of artillery pieces positioned on its side of the DMZ. Analysts have

modeled different scenarios in which North Korea fires artillery into South Korea. In one scenario, the North uses a dozen artillery pieces to launch a surprise attack on a large electronics factory. The strike could cause thousands of casualties and possibly affect global economies. In the most extreme

scenario, North Korea launches a massive artillery barrage along the border, striking major cities, airports, and US military bases near the border. The think tank concluded this would lead to over 200,000 casualties and that there is little the US could do to stop it once

it starts. North Korea has begun stationing more troops along the border while dismissing the need for nuclear talks with the incoming Trump administration.  My friend Donald Trump has touted his close relationship with Kim and made history as the first sitting US president to cross into North Korea.

That visit marked a high point in diplomacy with the Kim regime, but Trump returns to office at a time when relations are sinking and tensions along this border are soaring. He may soon be forced to confront a cold conflict that is heating up once more.

Balloons, Loudspeakers and Psyops: Inside a Korean DMZ Border Town | WSJ

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한반도에서의 풍선전 및 심리 작전

쓰레기와 전단지를 담은 수천 개의 풍선을 국경을 넘어 날려 보내 심리전 캠페인을 시작합니다.

북한은 미국이 지원하는 전쟁 게임에 대한 대응으로 한국과의 관계를 단절하고 양국을 연결하는 인프라를 파괴합니다.

비무장지대는 차기 트럼프 행정부가 외교 정책에서 어려움을 겪을 가능성이 있는 취약한 국경으로 묘사됩니다.

한국 순찰대는 풍선, 전단, 드론을 북한으로 보내는 활동가들을 감시하고 있으며, 적발된 활동가들은 엄중한 처벌을 받고 있습니다.

북한은 이러한 행동을 매우 도발적인 행동으로 간주하고 있으며 확전이 우려됩니다.

활동가들의 행동과 북한의 대응

한 활동가인 청용은 김정은과 그의 정권을 공격하는 전단 10만 장을 살포할 계획이며, 이는 북한의 직접적인 공격으로 간주됩니다.

북한의 정보 통제를 우회하는 것이 목적이지만, 전단을 소지한 사람은 엄중한 처벌을 받게 됩니다.

북한은 대가를 치를 것이라고 경고하며 쓰레기와 배설물로 가득 찬 풍선 수천 개를 보내 보복했습니다.

한국은 풍선을 통한 생화학 무기 사용을 우려하고 있습니다.

한국은 확성기를 이용해 국경을 넘어 케이팝 음악을 방송하는 방식으로 대응하고 있습니다.

북한은 이에 대응하여 자체 확성기를 가동하여 끊임없이 소음을 발생시키고 있습니다.

남한 확성기에 대한 북한의 포격 위협으로 확전 우려가 커지고 있습니다.

분석가들은 전자 공장에 대한 공격과 대규모 국경 포격 등 북한의 포격 공격 시나리오를 모델링하여 상당한 사상자가 발생하는 상황을 가정합니다.

북한은 더 많은 병력을 배치하고 차기 트럼프 행정부와의 핵 협상을 기각합니다.

트럼프의 재집권은 양국 관계가 악화되고 국경의 긴장이 고조되는 시기와 맞물려 있습니다.

Balloons, Loudspeakers and Psyops: Inside a Korean DMZ Border Town | WSJ

Balloons, Loudspeakers and Psyops: Inside a Korean DMZ Border Town | WSJ

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