South Korea’s busiest airport was forced temporarily to halt operations after North Korea resumed launching balloons carrying bags of rubbish and suspected human waste over the border.
Incheon International Airport, which serves the South Korean capital of Seoul, closed its three runways after a balloon landed on the tarmac near a passenger terminal early on Wednesday. More balloons were spotted in the surrounding area, according to airport officials.
Several flights due to land at Incheon between 1.46am and 4.44am were diverted to other Korean airports, while a Chinese cargo flight was diverted to the city of Yantai in China. Incheon airport, which is about 40km from the border with North Korea, later resumed operations.