South Korea vows military response to North’s balloons, stoking escalation fears

Incheon International Airport, one of Asia’s busiest, experienced temporary stoppages on Monday after a balloon was spotted nearby.

Operations were halted for about 70 minutes before authorities confirmed that the balloon had landed in the ocean. However, just 10 minutes after flights had resumed, debris was discovered within the airport compound, prompting another brief suspension of operations.

“Further disruptions in air traffic are expected as debris from trash-carrying balloons continues to be spotted,” an airport official told the JoongAng Daily.