A State Department spokesperson on Thursday criticized North Korea's sending of trash-carrying balloons to South Korea as a "reckless" and "destabilizing" act amid growing concerns about their impact on public safety in the South. Vedant Patel, the department's deputy spokesperson, made the comment as the North's balloons have been found in more than 3,300 locations in the South in recent months, including the presidential office in Seoul and Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, according to a South Korean lawmaker. "It is a provocation. It is something that we find to be reckless and destabilizing and also just wholly unhelpful," Patel told a press briefing. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel answers questions during a daily press briefing at the department in Washington on Aug. 14, 2023, in this captured image. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) Asked if the United States thinks it should take measures to protect Americans in South Korea, Patel stressed the importance of U.S. c itizens' safety. "Our consular efforts are of vital importance to us. We take the safety and security of Americans incredibly seriously," he said. "I don't have any specifics to offer as it relates to efforts in the Republic of Korea beyond just saying that that's something we will continue to address as needed." Pyongyang has sent trash balloons, taking issue with South Korean activists' sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North. In response, Seoul carried out loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the inter-Korean border. Source: Yonhap News Agency