A balloon believed to belong to the DPRK and intended to study weather conditions briefly entered the airspace of the Republic of Korea on Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean military.

According to them, the balloon, about two meters in diameter, was spotted in the border area of Gyeonggi-do province on Sunday evening and probably left Korean airspace a few hours later. Seoul explained that North Korean artillerymen launch such balloons to gather information on wind direction and that these objects are often spotted by the South Korean military. Yonhap adds that soldiers in the south of the peninsula also use balloons for this purpose.

The Republic of Korea Armed Forces, taking into account the small size of the probe, believed that it was solely for studying weather conditions and did not take additional measures other than intensified surveillance.

Besides, National Defense Ministry spokesman said that according to Seoul, the Chinese balloon shot down by the United States did not fly over Korean territory. Washington claimed that the balloon was a reconnaissance balloon. Beijing responded that the balloon was civilian and used, among other things, for meteorological research.