S. Korea raises alert level on terrorism

South Korea has raised the alert level by one notch and vowed to tighten security in major facilities in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris, officials said Tuesday. 

After holding a meeting involving ministries concerned about anti-terrorism countermeasures on Monday, the government decided to raise the alert level from "concern" to "caution," according to the officials. It is the second-highest warning in the country's four-tiered system.

The "caution" level entails tougher measures against possible terror attacks, such as the stricter management of dangerous substances which can be used by wrongful hands and tighter security on the country's major public facilities and key systems, among others.

The issuance of the stronger advisory came out of fear that South Korea could be a target of terrorists as the Islamic State pointed to the Asian country as one of "the crusader coalition." 

"No immediate signs of terror attack has been detected here, but the government feels the need to take precautionary measures," an official of the Ministry of Public Safety and Security said. (Yonhap)