Trash-carrying balloons sent by North Korea are spotted in skies above Seoul in this file photo taken Oct. 4. (Yonhap)

Trash carried by a North Korean balloon landed in the presidential compound in Seoul on Thursday, the presidential office said, including leaflets criticizing President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee.

The South Korean military said earlier that North Korea launched more balloons toward its territory early Thursday, warning they might drift toward the Seoul metropolitan area and border areas.

"Early this morning, a North Korean balloon filled with trash exploded in the air, scattering debris around the Yongsan presidential compound," the Presidential Security Service said in a statement, adding that the objects posed no danger and had been safely collected.

The PSS said it is monitoring the situation in coordination with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This is the second such incident since a North Korean balloon landed in the presidential compound on July 24. It also marks the first time the North has sent balloons carrying leaflets that directly criticize the president and his wife.

One leaflet accused Yoon of "sleep-talking about the end of the regime in the face of a nuclear power."

Another leaflet called the first lady a modern "Marie Antoinette," a French queen associated with extravagance, detailing the costs of her accessories, such as necklaces and earrings.

The latest launch comes after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North's leader, claimed Tuesday that the North discovered and removed "political motivational rubbish" sent by the South the previous day.

Since late May, the North has launched thousands of balloons carrying trash in retaliation against anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent across the border by activists in the South.

In response to the launches, the South's military has been daily blaring anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers along the border since July. It has refrained from shooting down the balloons, citing safety concerns. (Yonhap)