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Terror alert in South Korea
American installations in South Korea went on a high state of alert last week after intelligence was received that a terrorist attack might be planned in retaliation for the dispatch of Korean troops to Iraq. A South Korean official said that in recent weeks very specific intelligence had been received from the United States, Australia and Indonesia warning of possible attacks against American and South Korea targets. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul warned U.S. citizens of the increased threat of "suicide operations, bombings, or kidnappings," with the strongest language used in an advisory since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "It seemed like a prudent thing to do since Korea had just deployed its troops," said a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, about the citizen advisory.Islamic terrorism is novel for South Korea, where the security apparatus is designed around the threat posed by communist North Korea. But deployment of 2,800 South Korean soldiers to Iraq — the largest deployment of foreign troops in the country after U.S. and British forces — has brought the distant war in the Middle East closer to home. "There is a sense that this type of terrorist activity is moving from the Middle East to the U.S. and Europe and into Asia. Korea will not be an exception, given our close relationship with the United States and the size of the troops dispatch to Iraq," said Hahm Seung Hee, a former South Korean legislator who this year spearheaded a National Assembly investigation into suspected activity by Al Qaeda sympathizers in South Korea. Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-09-30 |
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