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Incheon airport briefly closes down runways because of North Korea garbage balloons

Launches and landings at South Korea's Incheon worldwide airport were interrupted on Wednesday for about three hours before dawn since of balloons released by North Korea filled with refuse, an airport representative stated.

One balloon arrived at the tarmac near traveler Terminal 2 and the 3 runways at Incheon were briefly shut down, the representative said.

North Korea has flown balloons bring trash into South Korea because late May, with hundreds landing in South Korea.

Several balloons were spotted in and around the airport boundaries, the representative said, adding that this was not the first time operations at the airport - which has to do with 40km from the North Korean border - had been interfered with by balloons close by.

The interruption to domestic and global flights occurred between 1:46 a.m. and 4:44 a.m., and the runways have re-opened since then, Incheon International Airport Corporation stated.

Flight volume at that time of day is generally low. FlightRadar24 showed programs eight getting here freight and guest flights were diverted to South Korea's Cheongju or Jeju airports during that time, and one China Cargo freighter from Shanghai was diverted to Yantai, China.

Several more landings were delayed, and departures were delayed by several hours.

North Korea has stated the balloons are retaliation for a. propaganda project by North Korean defectors and activists in. the South who routinely send out over balloons carrying food,. medicine, money and leaflets criticising the North's leaders.

Among the products brought by the North Korean balloons have. been articles printed with Hi Cat characters, severely worn. clothing, and soil consisting of traces of human faeces and. parasites, South Korea has actually stated.

South Korea's military on Wednesday said about 100 balloons. had actually fallen to the ground in between Tuesday and Wednesday, mainly. in the capital, Seoul, and the surrounding Gyeonggi province. Most of brought simply scraps of paper.

(source: Reuters)