The South Korean Embassy in Beijing has warned its citizens in China about the possibility of an attack or abduction attempt by North Korean agents amid growing safety concerns following recent high-profile defections, Seoul officials said Monday.

Since late July, Seoul and the South Korean Embassy in China have issued a multitude of safety and travel advisories for those who live or plan to visit regions near the North Korea-Chinese border.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to have issued instructions for terror on the South, especially after the defection of 13 workers from a North Korean restaurant in China in April.

The latest warning was delivered to the associations of South Koreans in China, calling for their members to pay attention to their safety and refrain from meeting with perceived North Koreans in the border regions.

“There appears to be the possibility for a potential terror and kidnapping targeting our visiting or residing citizens given the recent defection of a senior North Korean official and the country’s threats of provocations,” the warning says, referring to the defection of Thae Yong-ho, a diplomat, from the North Korean Embassy in London. 

“As we’ve said, North Korea continuously threatens provocations through official media, and unofficially there have been signs of threats, and the warning is a follow-up step to that,” Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said at a news briefing.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)