There has been anxiety about the safety of overseas Koreans following the discovery on April 30 of the body of a Korean-Chinese Christian pastor in China's border province of Jilin.
China's public security officials are still investigating the case, but activists say the pastor, who allegedly founded the Jangbaek Church in Jilin in 1993, was murdered for assisting North Korean defectors in China. According to press reports, Pyongyang sent three agents across the border to kill the pastor, who then returned to the North.
The incident drew keen attention as it occurred amid speculation that the reclusive state may attempt to kidnap South Koreans abroad in retaliation for the recent defection of North Korean staff at a restaurant in China. The North insists that the North Koreans ― 12 female workers and a manager at the restaurant in Ningbo ― were tricked into defecting by South Korean spies, but Seoul said they came voluntarily.
North Korea's abduction attempts may be translated into action, given its track record of kidnapping. In the most high-profile case, Kim Jong-il, the late leader and father of the current leader Kim Jong-un, ordered his underlings to kidnap a South Korean film director and his actress wife in the late 1970s.
Unconfirmed reports say North Korean officials have been closely watching South Korean embassies abroad, including taking pictures. The Hankook Ilbo reported last week that Pyongyang was plotting to kidnap South Koreans to trade them for the 13 defectors. "The North set the target of 120 people including expats, soldiers and officials for kidnapping," the newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with North Korean affairs.
Against this backdrop, the Seoul government warned of higher risks to its citizens being abducted by the reclusive state. "We have already advised our overseas missions to heighten their vigilance against abductions or terrorism,'' a foreign ministry spokesman said.
But overconfidence can be very dangerous. The government says all precautionary measures have been in place for the safety of our nationals abroad. But that's not enough, considering the fact that North Korea has always been unpredictable.
The North may be plotting ill-advised provocations targeting South Koreans, aside from its routine nuclear and missile tests. Needless to say, these won't be part of the answer to the North's problems.
Last but not least, we feel tempted to remind China that the dead pastor is Chinese by nationality. This time around the Chinese authorities should get to the bottom of the case and hold the North strictly accountable if the allegations of murder are proven to be true.
China's public security officials are still investigating the case, but activists say the pastor, who allegedly founded the Jangbaek Church in Jilin in 1993, was murdered for assisting North Korean defectors in China. According to press reports, Pyongyang sent three agents across the border to kill the pastor, who then returned to the North.
The incident drew keen attention as it occurred amid speculation that the reclusive state may attempt to kidnap South Koreans abroad in retaliation for the recent defection of North Korean staff at a restaurant in China. The North insists that the North Koreans ― 12 female workers and a manager at the restaurant in Ningbo ― were tricked into defecting by South Korean spies, but Seoul said they came voluntarily.
North Korea's abduction attempts may be translated into action, given its track record of kidnapping. In the most high-profile case, Kim Jong-il, the late leader and father of the current leader Kim Jong-un, ordered his underlings to kidnap a South Korean film director and his actress wife in the late 1970s.
Unconfirmed reports say North Korean officials have been closely watching South Korean embassies abroad, including taking pictures. The Hankook Ilbo reported last week that Pyongyang was plotting to kidnap South Koreans to trade them for the 13 defectors. "The North set the target of 120 people including expats, soldiers and officials for kidnapping," the newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with North Korean affairs.
Against this backdrop, the Seoul government warned of higher risks to its citizens being abducted by the reclusive state. "We have already advised our overseas missions to heighten their vigilance against abductions or terrorism,'' a foreign ministry spokesman said.
But overconfidence can be very dangerous. The government says all precautionary measures have been in place for the safety of our nationals abroad. But that's not enough, considering the fact that North Korea has always been unpredictable.
The North may be plotting ill-advised provocations targeting South Koreans, aside from its routine nuclear and missile tests. Needless to say, these won't be part of the answer to the North's problems.
Last but not least, we feel tempted to remind China that the dead pastor is Chinese by nationality. This time around the Chinese authorities should get to the bottom of the case and hold the North strictly accountable if the allegations of murder are proven to be true.
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