South Korea raises terror alert for five overseas agencies

The South Korean government has raised its terrorist attack warning for five South Korean diplomatic missions abroad, including the South Korean Consulate General in Shenyang, China.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the government would raise the terrorist attack warning for five diplomatic missions abroad from the original level one of "concern" to level three of "vigilance." The five institutions are the Korean Embassy in Cambodia, the Embassy in Laos, the Embassy in Vietnam, the Consulate General in Vladivostok and the Consulate General in Shenyang.

According to reports, South Korean intelligence agencies recently obtained information that North Korea was trying to harm South Korean diplomatic staff in these areas, and the government accordingly raised the terrorist attack warning against the above-mentioned institutions.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated in a message released to the media that day that the agency has obtained multiple intelligence reports on North Korea's recent preparations to launch terrorist attacks in China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other places against South Korean diplomatic staff and other citizens. South Korean intelligence agencies analyze that there has been an increase in the recent number of elites such as staff of North Korean missions abroad abandoning North Korea, which is the background for North Korea's attempts to launch terrorist attacks.

South Korea's terrorist attack warning is divided into four levels, from low to high: level one "concern", level two "attention", level three "vigilance", and level four "serious". Among them, "alert" is issued when the possibility of a terrorist attack is quite high.