Advertisement
Unusual terror alert for South Korea’s embassies fuels tensions with North, offers distraction from Yoon’s election loss
- The sudden two-tier rise of the warning despite no major events for Seoul could signal precautions against a retaliation over a row on defected diplomats
- Power holders on both sides could also be taking advantage of mounting hostilities to extend their rule
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
A rare terrorism alert for South Korea’s diplomats this week is fuelling tensions with Pyongyang while allowing a welcome respite for the South’s ruling conservatives, who are still in shock from an election loss, observers say.
Advertisement
Five overseas missions put on the alert comprise Seoul’s embassies in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, as well as its consulates in the northeastern Russian city of Vladivostok and the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang.
Analysts say Pyongyang’s agents would be “freer” to operate in the countries identified as they were known to be friendly to North Korea, while Seoul could also be taking precautions against retaliation from its rival over defected diplomats.
Citing intelligence indicating a potential terror threat from Pyongyang, Seoul on Thursday raised its terrorism alert by two levels from the lowest to the third-highest on a four-tier scale.
“The adjustment comes in response to recent intelligence gathered by our agencies, indicating attempts by North Korea to threaten diplomatic staff,” the foreign ministry and the Office for Government Policy Coordination jointly said in a statement.
The terror alert level was raised from “attention” to “alert” for five overseas diplomatic missions. The “alert” level is issued when there is a “high likelihood” of terror attacks taking place, according to the statement.
Advertisement