A North Korean trash balloon was discovered near Seoul’s Han River, close to Jamsil Bridge, Aug. 9. Yonhap

South Korean authorities have responded to more than 1,500 emergency calls this year following a series of balloon launches from North Korea filled with waste materials, according to government data, Thursday. The balloons, part of North Korea's psychological warfare tactics, have been sighted nationwide, including in the capital, Seoul.

Data provided by South Korea's National Fire Agency shows that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13, a total of 1,567 emergency calls were made in connection with the balloons. The majority of the reports came from Seoul, which accounted for 71.9 percent of the calls, with 1,126 incidents. These reports involved balloons landing in locations such as former U.S. military bases, the Ministry of National Defense's facilities, residential areas, parks and public trails.

Other affected regions included southern Gyeonggi Province with 162 calls, northern Gyeonggi with 151, Incheon with 56 and Gangwon Province with 48. Surprisingly, reports also came from areas much farther south, such as Ulsan, South Jeolla Province and North Gyeongsang Province.

On June 2, a balloon was found in a village in North Gyeongsang Province, roughly 216 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas.

The response to these incidents has been significant. During the eight-month period, approximately 10,405 firefighters and 2,485 fire vehicles were dispatched. Seoul experienced the largest deployment, with 7,595 firefighters and 1,581 vehicles.

Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea, who obtained the data from the National Fire Agency, expressed concern over the impact of these balloons on public safety.

"The trash-filled balloons from North Korea are affecting not only the border areas but also various regions across the country, disrupting the daily lives and safety of our citizens," Yang said.

He called on the South Korean government to take concrete measures to prevent the launch of such propaganda materials by North Korea.