SEOUL, Sept 25 – Since June, South Korea has repeatedly been forced to close runways at the capital’s two main airports due to balloons carrying trash launched by North Korea, according to a South Korean lawmaker on Wednesday, citing aviation data.

Runways at Incheon and Gimpo airports were closed for takeoffs or landings on 20 different days since June 1 when balloons were detected nearby, said Democratic Party parliamentarian Yang Bu-nam in a statement. The closures totaled 413 minutes.

North Korea has launched over 5,500 trash-laden balloons since late May, in response to propaganda leaflets sent by South Korean activists.

Carried by the wind, some balloons landed in the South, including near the presidential office and on airport runways. Although most were safely removed, some caused disruptions to airport operations and triggered small fires.

On June 26, Incheon airport experienced the longest disruption, with runways closed for a total of 166 minutes in one day, according to aviation data from Yang’s office. On Monday, takeoffs and landings at Incheon—one of the world’s busiest airports—were halted for 90 minutes. Gimpo airport, primarily serving domestic flights, has also been affected.

An airline official noted that the North Korean balloon launches have complicated flight operations, requiring some planes to carry extra fuel to accommodate delays or potential diversions.

An aviation authority official explained that runway closures are determined each time a balloon is detected, considering specific conditions rather than proximity alone. South Korea’s military tracks the balloons from launch but has refrained from shooting them down due to safety concerns, despite calls from some MPs and civic groups. On Monday, the military warned it was prepared to take “stern military action” if the North crossed a critical line but did not provide further details.”

Court documents have disclosed that Stockton Rush, the CEO and co-founder of OceanGate who perished in the tragic Titan submersible accident in June of last year, had insisted on personally participating in test dives. He claimed it was “one of the safest things I will ever do” and wanted to be onboard in case “anything happens.”

Released by the US Coast Guard as part of their ongoing investigation into the 2023 disaster, the documents reveal Rush’s communications with employees prior to the fatal dive, many of whom had raised concerns about the submersible’s safety.

The Titan, which was en route to the Titanic wreck in the North Atlantic, imploded during its journey, killing all five passengers, including Rush.

“I don’t want to risk anybody else”
Years before the ill-fated voyage, Rush insisted on piloting the submersible himself to mitigate any risk to others, according to OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein. Rush reportedly said, “If anything happens, I want it to only impact me. It’s my design. I trust it, but I don’t want to put anyone else at risk, so I’ll go alone.”

Sohnlein, who left the company in 2013, added that Rush had insisted on making the 4,000-meter dive solo.

“No one is dying under my watch”
While Sohnlein portrayed Rush as a courageous and positive leader, former operations director David Lochridge described him in starkly different terms. Lochridge claimed that Rush was focused on profits and lacked the necessary experience, even panicking during a previous dive. Lochridge said he had raised safety concerns about the submersible’s design, but Rush dismissed them and insisted on piloting the vessel.

Lochridge quoted Rush as saying, “I’m not dying. No one is dying under my watch. I’ve got a granddaughter, and I’m going to be around. I know the risks, and this is one of the safest things I’ll ever do.”

After raising his concerns, Lochridge said he was fired and later brought his case to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but OceanGate’s legal team pressured him into dropping it. He believes that if the company had been thoroughly investigated, the Titan disaster could have been avoided.

The ongoing inquiry, which is expected to conclude this week, involves the US Coast Guard reviewing testimony from technical experts and crew members to determine the causes of the submersible’s failure.

Swedish prosecutors on Tuesday accused Iran’s intelligence service of hacking a text messaging operator in 2023 to distribute messages urging revenge against individuals involved in Koran-burning protests.

According to Sweden’s Prosecution Authority, around 15,000 messages inciting retaliation against those responsible for desecrating the Koran were sent during the summer of 2023, following a wave of such protests.

“The goal was to sow discord within Swedish society,” the authority stated.

In a separate release, Sweden’s intelligence service, Sapo, revealed that the hacker group responsible for the breach had acted “on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as part of an influence campaign.”

“The objective was to portray Sweden as an Islamophobic nation,” said Fredrik Hallstrom, Sapo’s chief of operations.

In August 2023, following a series of Koran-burning protests, Sapo raised the national threat level to four out of five, citing Sweden as a “prioritized target.”

The protests, which peaked during the summer of 2023, strained relations between Sweden and several Middle Eastern countries. In July, Iraqi protesters twice stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, setting fires on the second occasion.

While the Swedish government condemned the desecrations, it emphasized the nation’s constitutionally protected rights to freedom of speech and assembly.