South Korea’s intelligence service has raised concerns that North Korea is planning “terrorist” attacks against its embassies and expatriates in China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has detected signs of North Korean agents increasing surveillance on South Korean embassies and searching for potential terrorist targets in these countries.
In response to the threats, Seoul has raised its anti-terrorism alert level for its embassies in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, as well as its consulates in Shenyang, China, and Vladivostok, Russia. The NIS suspects that North Korean diplomats are sending false reports to Pyongyang accusing South Korea of encouraging defections in order to avoid being held responsible for punishments related to defectors.
The threats may be connected to a wave of defections from North Korean expatriates who were stranded abroad due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Defecting from North Korea is punishable by severe penalties not only for the defector but also for their families and anyone linked to them. The NIS believes that North Korean diplomats are trying to avoid being held responsible for these defections by accusing South Korea of encouraging them.
As a result of these threats, the NIS has increased security measures at South Korean embassies and consulates in these countries. Last year, 196 North Koreans arrived in South Korea, the highest number since 2017, including members of North Korea’s elite such as diplomats and their families. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently declared South Korea his country’s “main enemy” and deemed any prospect of reunification as futile.