White Balloon Over Chinese Embassy in Seoul... Turns Out to Be a Prank by British YouTuber

"Can't Reach Mainland China, Choose Embassy"
Balloons Ultimately Burst Due to Local Police Sanctions

Amid escalating tensions between the United States and China over the downing of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon, a white balloon was flown over the Chinese Embassy in London, UK. It was confirmed that this balloon was launched by British YouTubers protesting against China's reconnaissance balloon.

On the 15th (local time), according to US media outlet the New York Post, YouTubers Josh Peters and Archie Manners posted a video on their YouTube channel on the 9th showing a white balloon equipped with a camera being flown over the Chinese Embassy in London. They launched their YouTube channel in 2015 and currently have 1.45 million subscribers.

This photo is for reference only and is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

Peters and Manners expressed their dissatisfaction with the Chinese reconnaissance balloon through a video titled "We Flew a Spy Balloon over Chinese Airspace."

In particular, in the video, they attached a small camera to the white balloon and connected a long string to fly it over the Chinese Embassy. The camera captured views of the embassy office windows and rooftop. They explained, "We wanted to send the balloon all the way to China, but since that was not possible, we chose the Chinese Embassy."

However, shortly after launching the balloon, they were sanctioned by the police. The police stated, "The embassy could interpret this as an aggressive signal." Consequently, Peters and Manners ended up popping the balloon in front of the police.

The Chinese "reconnaissance balloon" was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet on the 4th (local time) and is falling into the sea off Surfside Beach, South Carolina. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The video has garnered 57,000 views and received positive responses from netizens. Comments included, "This is an entertaining video. I hope many people watch it," "You guys are amazing," and "It's surprising how you come up with such ideas." However, some raised concerns, saying, "Isn't this an action that could escalate into a diplomatic issue?"

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that the UK is prepared to shoot down Chinese reconnaissance balloons if they appear. On the 13th, Sunak told reporters, "We have all the capabilities to respond to threats coming through our airspace," adding, "We are in continuous contact with allies such as the US and will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of the country."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.