Seoul spy agency warns North Korea plotting attacks on embassies

- South Korea’s spy agency said on May 3 that Pyongyang was plotting “terrorist” attacks targeting Seoul’s officials and citizens overseas, with the foreign ministry raising the alert level for diplomatic missions in five countries.

The spy agency said it appeared linked to a wave of defections by elite North Koreans who were trapped overseas during the pandemic and are now avoiding returning home after Pyongyang eased strict border controls, having become “sceptical” of the regime. As a result, the North may be “plotting retaliation” against South Korean embassy staff on such pretences, NIS added.for five of its diplomatic missions – embassies in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam as well as its consulates in Russian port city Vladivostok and the Chinese city of Shenyang.North Korea has diplomatic ties with more than 150 countries, according to Seoul, but the number of missions it maintains overseas has shrunk since the 1990s due to financial constraints.

“The end of the pandemic has enabled North Korean agents, previously confined within their country, to travel abroad for missions, while South Koreans are also travelling abroad without any restrictions,” Professor Lee Man-jong, president of the Korean Association for Terrorism Studies, told AFP. “If North Korean diplomats and agents stationed abroad are continually and brutally pressured by Pyongyang to address defections by elite expats, we cannot rule out the possibility of the North plotting a terrorist attack... against South Koreans living overseas.”

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Seoul spy agency warns North Korea plotting attacks on embassiesSEOUL: South Korea's spy agency said on Friday (May 3) that Pyongyang was plotting "terrorist" attacks targeting Seoul's officials and citizens overseas, with the foreign ministry raising the alert level for diplomatic missions in five countries.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Russian ballet shows in South Korea cancelled for a second timeThe move comes amid tensions between Seoul and Moscow over Ukraine and North Korea.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

North Korea fires ballistic missiles, South Korea, Japan saySEOUL: North Korea fired "several" short-range ballistic missiles on Monday (Apr 22) towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, drawing a swift condemnation from Seoul, which called it a grave threat to stability on the Korean peninsula.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

South Korea, Japan, US hold naval drills amid North Korea threatsSEOUL — South Korea, Japan and the United States staged long-planned joint naval exercises involving an American aircraft carrier to ensure readiness against nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, Seoul's navy said on Friday (April 12).
Source: asiaonecom - 🏆 10. / 59 Read more »

South Korea, Japan, US hold naval drills amid North Korea threatsSEOUL: South Korea, Japan and the United States staged long-planned joint naval exercises involving an American aircraft carrier to ensure readiness against nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, Seoul's navy said on Friday (Apr 12).
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

SpaceX launches South Korea's second spy satellite amid race with North KoreaSEOUL: South Korea's defence ministry said on Monday (Apr 8) the country's second homegrown spy satellite had entered orbit after its launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the John F Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »