New wave of North Korean trash balloons hits U.S. Army base and Seoul presidential compound

Seoul — North Korea sent another wave of trash-filled balloons drifting into South Korea Wednesday, but this time, some of the garbage landed on the grounds of the South Korean presidential compound in Seoul and a U.S. military base nearby, seemingly disrupting some operations there.

The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol said it monitored the balloons’ flight path in real-time and “accurately measured the landing location, then safely took action after it fell” on the compound’s grounds.

Authorities didn’t attempt to shoot down the balloon headed for the presidential compound to avoid causing any damage, and because at the time it was unclear what the balloon could be carrying. In the end, it was just more trash, following a pattern of recent North Korean balloon launches in a tit-for-tat propaganda fight with the South.

A chemical, biological and radiological response team that responded to the presidential compound concluded that “the object was not dangerous or contaminated, so we collected it and will continue to monitor it,” officials said.

The president’s office did not announce any changes to the security level.

Other balloons touched down Wednesday around Yoon’s central Seoul office and about 20 miles north, on the grounds of the U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan-Casey.

Multiple sources confirmed to CBS News that those balloons also carried trash, mostly pieces of scrap paper and snack wrappers, including some that showed manufacturing addresses in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. 

The Yongsan base was previously the headquarters of the unified U.S. Forces Korea, but now most American troops have moved to the Camp Humphreys base, further south on the coast of the Korean Peninsula. The Yongsan base is not considered U.S. territory, as the land is still owned by South Korea.

Some base staff told CBS News on Wednesday that some gates were closed and other security measures were taken, and posts on the base’s Facebook page showed entry restrictions in place and some events being postponed, though none mentioned the balloons.

A spokesperson for U.S. Forces Korea told CBS News the command had no comment to offer on the matter on Wednesday.