A suspected North Korean spy, who was sent to the South and allegedly lived here as a Buddhist monk since last year, has been arrested, marking the first such case in nine years, authorities said Thursday.
The National Intelligence Service reported details of the suspected North Korean spy to representative members of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Lee Hye-hoon of the Bareunmirae Party on Thursday morning.
“We are not in a situation to brief information on the spy sent by North Korea,” Lee told reporters before the meeting.
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According to authorities, the National Intelligence Service and National Police Agency last month arrested the spy suspect in his 40s, who allegedly entered South Korea at the order of North Korea’s spy agency. The case was recently transferred to the prosecutor’s office.
The suspect, whose mission in the South has not yet been confirmed, is suspected of attempting to infiltrate the country’s Buddhist scene as a monk.
According to local reports, the suspect entered the country a few years ago before reentering the country last year via Jeju Island with a fake nationality.
By Kim Bo-gyung (
lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)
