By Kang Seung-woo
The South Korean embassy in China recently warned tourists there to stay vigilant against North Korean terrorist attacks or kidnappings, a source said, Monday.
The move followed recent defections of high-ranking North Korean diplomats, including Thae Yong-ho, the North's deputy ambassador to the U.K. who fled to Seoul with his family in late July.
The embassy also issued a similar warning on July 22 in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's alleged orders to harm or abduct South Koreans in retaliation for the group defection of 13 North Koreans restaurant workers in April.
"Given the recent defection of a high-level North Korean official and North Korea's threats of provocations, there seem to be high possibilities of terrorist attacks and abductions of South Korean residents and travelers in China," the embassy said in a warning message conveyed to South Korean expatriate groups and other associated organizations in China.
The embassy also advised its local citizens to avoid traveling along the North Korea-China border areas and meeting any suspected North Koreans, urging them to constantly check safety information updates from the embassy, according to the source.
After 12 waitresses and one male manager from a North Korean-run restaurant in China fled to South Korea in April, North Korea has been reportedly dispatching its secret agents to China and Southeast Asian countries as part of malicious operations against South Koreans and such signs have reemerged following Thae's defection.
Along with Thae, a North Korean diplomat from Pyongyang's trade representatives, who was stationed in Vladivostok, Russia, defected last month although the diplomat's identity and whereabouts have not been made clear.
The South Korean embassy in China recently warned tourists there to stay vigilant against North Korean terrorist attacks or kidnappings, a source said, Monday.
The move followed recent defections of high-ranking North Korean diplomats, including Thae Yong-ho, the North's deputy ambassador to the U.K. who fled to Seoul with his family in late July.
The embassy also issued a similar warning on July 22 in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's alleged orders to harm or abduct South Koreans in retaliation for the group defection of 13 North Koreans restaurant workers in April.
"Given the recent defection of a high-level North Korean official and North Korea's threats of provocations, there seem to be high possibilities of terrorist attacks and abductions of South Korean residents and travelers in China," the embassy said in a warning message conveyed to South Korean expatriate groups and other associated organizations in China.
The embassy also advised its local citizens to avoid traveling along the North Korea-China border areas and meeting any suspected North Koreans, urging them to constantly check safety information updates from the embassy, according to the source.
After 12 waitresses and one male manager from a North Korean-run restaurant in China fled to South Korea in April, North Korea has been reportedly dispatching its secret agents to China and Southeast Asian countries as part of malicious operations against South Koreans and such signs have reemerged following Thae's defection.
Along with Thae, a North Korean diplomat from Pyongyang's trade representatives, who was stationed in Vladivostok, Russia, defected last month although the diplomat's identity and whereabouts have not been made clear.
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