Why Did North Korea's Kim Jong-un Send Trash Balloons?: An Analysis of North Korea's Changes in the Kim Jong-un Era

Why did North Korea's Kim Jong-un send Trash balloons? North Korea has recently revised its laws to strengthen its control over its citizens. In December 2020, North Korea enacted the Law on the Rejection of Reactionary Ideology and Culture which stipulates punishment for the use of foreign culture or South Korean ideology and language. However, this law can be interpreted conversely as evidence of the significant unrest in North Korean society. With the emergence of markets, the seeds of capitalism began to sprout within North Korea. Some capitalists known as donju emerged. As generations changed in North Korea, social changes also occurred. Young people, as expected, showed a greater receptivity to South Korean culture and new developments. North Korea fears the influx of new cultures into its system and the influx of capitalist and Western ideologies. The study analyzes that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a filth balloon to deal with this social turmoil and turn his gaze to the outside world to suppress the agitation of North Koreans.