Among the garbage carried by the balloons sent this time by North Korea to South Korea were worn clothing printed with characters such as Hello Kitty, and soil containing traces of human feces and vermin, Seoul announced today.

Pyongyang has since late May sent hundreds of balloons filled with trash such as cigarette butts, toilet paper and even animal waste to its southern neighbor, with hundreds landing in South Korea.

THE Seoul has deployed military explosive disposal units and chemical and biological warfare teams to inspect the items.

The items also included torn clothes donated by South Korea and garbage of all kinds, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said.

Pyongyang has said the move is in retaliation for anti-North Korean leaflets dropped by South Korean activists as part of a propaganda campaign.

Parasites and human DNA were found in the waste in some of the plastic bags, indicating they contained fertilizer from human excrement, the Unification Ministry said.

North Korea, which suffers from chronic food shortages, depended on South Korea for huge shipments of chemical fertilizers until that aid was suspended in 2007 as Pyongyang accelerated its weapons development.

Garbage ballooned in today included worn clothes printed with Mickey Mouse, Winnie-the-Pooh and Hello Kitty characters as well as socks, gloves and patched children’s clothing, hand-stitched fabric masks, including.

Late Monday (local time), South Korea’s military said North Korea launched balloons that appeared to be carrying garbage. North Korea warned last week that it would send up more balloons carrying garbage.