South Korea's ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said the fact that defectors’ groups have disseminated anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border provides no justification for North Korea's recent trash balloon launches. 

Speaking to local reporters on Thursday, an official with Seoul's unification ministry said the voluntary actions of civilians in South Korea, aimed at delivering information to people in the North, could not justify Pyongyang's provocations.

Asked whether the latest trash balloons followed any unreported leaflet activity by a defectors’ group, the official said there was no information available.

The official expressed regret over the repeated balloon launches by Pyongyang, calling them "irrational" and "vulgar" at a time when the North is experiencing severe flood damage.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier said the North launched about 420 trash balloons between Wednesday night and early Thursday, and that the launches had resumed around 9 a.m. Thursday.