North Korea announced it would cease sending trash-filled balloons into South Korea, claiming that its campaign had provided the South Koreans with “sufficient experience of how unpleasant they feel.”

The announcement followed South Korea’s declaration that it would impose “unbearable” retaliatory measures against North Korea in response to the balloon activities and other provocations.

Observers suggest that South Korea may resume front-line loudspeaker broadcasts into North Korea, which typically include criticism of North Korea’s human rights record, global news, and K-pop songs. North Korea is particularly sensitive to these broadcasts because most of its 26 million citizens do not have official access to foreign media.

It remains unclear whether South Korea will proceed with its punitive measures following North Korea’s suspension of the balloon launches.

On Sunday night, Kim Kang Il, a North Korean vice defense minister, stated that North Korea would temporarily halt its balloon activities, which he described as a countermeasure against previous South Korean leaflet campaigns.

“We made the Republic of Korea (ROK) clans experience how unpleasant they feel and how much effort is required to clean up the scattered wastepaper,” Kim said in a statement carried by state media.

He warned that if South Korean activists resumed sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets via balloons, North Korea would respond by sending a significantly larger quantity of rubbish-filled balloons.

Earlier that day, South Korea’s military reported finding more than 700 balloons from North Korea in various parts of the country, in addition to approximately 260 balloons discovered a few days prior. The balloons carried manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste paper, and vinyl, but no hazardous materials, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Kim stated that North Korea had launched 3,500 balloons carrying 15 tons of wastepaper.

South Korea’s national security director, Chang Ho-jin, announced earlier on Sunday that the government had decided to take “unbearable” measures against North Korea in response to its balloon launches, alleged GPS signal jamming, and recent nuclear strike simulations against the South.

Chang described the North’s balloon campaign and alleged GPS jamming as “absurd, irrational provocations that a normal country can’t imagine,” accusing North Korea of trying to incite “public anxiety and chaos” in South Korea.

North Korea often reacts angrily to South Korean civilian leafleting because the propaganda messages criticize the North’s authoritarian regime and provide external news. In 2020, North Korea demolished an empty South Korean-built liaison office in response to such balloon activities.

Experts believe that North Korea’s balloon campaign, reportedly the first in seven years, aims to create internal discord in South Korea over its conservative government’s hardline stance on the North. They also suggest that North Korea may further escalate tensions ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.

Since 2022, North Korea has significantly increased its weapons tests to expand its nuclear arsenal. Last week, it conducted a series of drills simulating a preemptive nuclear attack on South Korea.

The Maldives has decided to ban individuals holding Israeli passports, as announced by President Mohamed Muizzu’s office, according to the Hindustan Times.

The announcement did not specify when the new law would be implemented. Additionally, President Muizzu initiated a national fundraising campaign named “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine.”

This decision comes amid growing pressure from both the opposition and the government’s allies to prohibit Israelis from entering the Maldives in protest of the ongoing war in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians, according to the Hindustan Times.

The Maldives had previously lifted a ban on Israeli citizens in the early 1990s and reestablished diplomatic relations in 2010. However, AFP reported that efforts to normalize relations ceased after the ousting of former president Mohamed Nasheed in 2012.

In response, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised its citizens against traveling to the Maldives and recommended that those currently in the country consider leaving.

“For Israeli citizens staying in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, since if they fall into distress for any reason, it will be difficult for us to help,” the ministry said, according to AFP.

The Gaza conflict has resulted in at least 36,439 deaths, primarily civilians, due to actions by the Israeli Defence Forces. Tourism, a key sector of the Maldivian economy, has experienced a significant decline in Israeli visitors, with an 88 percent drop in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year.

China has accused the European Union of attempting to “suppress” Chinese companies and has vowed to take action to protect its interests as the EU moves closer to imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

China’s Commerce Minister, Wang Wentao, expressed a preference for resolving economic and trade disputes through dialogue to prevent an uncontrolled escalation, according to an official statement made during a meeting with Chinese businesses in Spain on Saturday.

Wang noted that leaders from France, Germany, and the EU have expressed a desire to avoid a trade war.

“If the EU does not practice what it preaches and continues to suppress Chinese companies, China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese companies,” the statement read.

The EU has initiated several trade investigations against China, citing anti-dumping and unfair subsidy practices, particularly in the clean-technology sector. The bloc must inform Chinese EV exporters by early June if it plans to impose tariffs and their potential rates, which could be enforced a month later.

In response, China has already begun an anti-dumping investigation into European brandy, specifically targeting French cognacs. State media have also suggested possible retaliation against European cars and pork.

Wang criticized the EU for using claims of overcapacity, unfair competition, and “other false narratives” to justify investigations into Chinese sectors like EVs, railways, solar, and medical equipment, thereby heightening the risk of trade friction between China and the EU.

He called on the EU to move away from protectionism and instead pursue dialogue and cooperation, as per a separate statement following his visit to a planned Chinese car factory in Spain on Sunday.