Seoul: The National Assembly has approved a revised bill that mandates state compensation for individuals impacted by North Korea's trash-filled balloons. The decision came during a plenary session where both ruling and opposition parties collectively voted to amend the Framework Act on Civil Defense. This amendment aims to provide financial restitution to citizens affected by threats that do not qualify as a full-scale "civil defense emergency," such as wars, armed conflicts, and national disasters. According to Yonhap News Agency, the amendment permits either the state or local government to offer full or partial compensation to those who experience damage to their health, property, or life owing to emergencies defined by presidential decree. The launch of thousands of balloons by North Korea since last May is believed to be a retaliatory measure against what they claim are anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent over the border by South Korean activists. The revised bill is slated to come into effect in six months, providing a legal framework for compensating those affected by the ongoing tension between the two Koreas.