South Korea restarts loudspeaker broadcasts in retaliation for balloons

Rubbish from a balloon believed to have been sent by North Korea in Seoul, South Korea (South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff/AP)

South Korea has resumed anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in retaliation for the North sending more than 1,000 balloons filled with rubbish and manure over the last couple of weeks.

The move is certain to anger Pyongyang and could trigger retaliatory military steps as tensions between the war-divided rivals rise while negotiations over the North’s nuclear ambitions remain stalemated.