#240, Balloon
Last Sunday, several innocent looking balloons meandered across the DMZ and adventured into South Korea. Attached to these balloons were “care” packages sent from our neighbor to the north filled with wonderful items like cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, and animal feces. Since Saturday, over 330 balloons were sent by North Korea, 80 of which have landed in South Korea. I even heard from one student this week that one of these balloons landed on her school roof.
Why? Doesn’t North Korea have more pressing matters at hand?
Well, two days before North Korea sent their balloons, early Thursday morning, a South Korean activist group, Fighters for a Free North Korea (FFNK) sent balloons to North Korea carrying a payload of their own. What exactly was inside?
200,000 leaflets condemning Kim Jong Un
5,000 USB drives with K-Pop and K-Dramas
2,000 one thousand won bills
Kim Jong Un stated that the balloons were “strictly a response act” to South Korea’s years-long practice of sending anti-North Korean propaganda to them.
These seemingly harmless incidents can escalate quickly and tensions between the two Koreas remain high. Clearly this type of provocation doesn’t require military response, but something must be done. So, let’s flex our creative muscles.
You are in charge of coming up with a response to the North Korean balloon “attack.” You and crew of ten activists will retaliate, but the last thing you want to do is start a war.
To complete this Journal response, address the following:
Propose a creative, non-violent way to respond. Explain why your solution is effective and consider the relationship between the two Koreas.
Comment on a peer’s response.
-Brenden Lee Teacher