North Korea accused by Seoul of preparing terrorist attacks against its embassies

South Korea’s intelligence service on Friday accused North Korea of ​​planning “terrorist” attacks against South Korean embassies and expatriates, prompting Seoul to raise the alert level of its diplomatic missions in the five countries.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it had “found numerous indications that North Korea is planning terrorist attacks against our embassy staff or citizens in several countries,” citing China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

“North Korea has sent agents to these countries to enhance surveillance of South Korean embassies, and is also engaged in specific activities such as searching for South Korean citizens who may become potential terrorist targets,” the NIS added in its press release.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said Thursday it had raised anti-terrorism alert levels for its embassies in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, as well as its consulates in Shenyang in northeastern China and Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. Pyongyang also has diplomatic missions in these five places.

Are North Koreans fleeing their country?

According to the NIS, these threats appear to be related to a wave of defections by North Korean expatriates who found themselves abroad during the Covid-19 pandemic and are seeking to avoid return by any means possible now that Pyongyang has reopened its borders.

Running away is a serious crime in North Korea, and those who attempt it face severe punishment, as do their families back home. Even people who have an indirect connection with the defector can be punished. The NIS said it suspected North Korean diplomats of sending false messages to Pyongyang, accusing South Korea of ​​inciting these people to defect to avoid indirect responsibility and punishment.

As a result, in his opinion, the North Korean regime may be “preparing retribution” against South Korean diplomats. A total of 196 North Koreans arrived in South Korea last year, the highest number since 2017, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Reunification. About ten of them belonged to the country’s elite, as did diplomats and members of their families. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently declared South Korea his country’s “main enemy” with which any prospect of reunification is futile.