Prime Minister Goh Kun on Friday ordered a heightened security alert for national carriers and South Korean missions abroad following terror threats in Bangkok.

The order was issued early Friday morning after a report by the National Intelligence Service and the Foreign Ministry.

The heightened alert will apply to airlines, South Korean missions overseas, foreign missions in South Korea, and South Korean residents abroad.

The South Korean Embassy in Thailand received a letter Thursday threatening terrorist attacks against Korean companies and organizations in Asian countries, specifically naming Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

A group calling itself the "Anti-Korean Interests Agency (AKIA)" claimed the attacks would begin from Jan. 7th. The letter was dated Jan. 1st.

Officials in Seoul suspect the group harbors hostility due to South Korea's treatment of illegal foreign workers, but said they needed to investigate further.