Two North Korean spies have been arrested for allegedly

entering South Korea with orders to assassinate former high-

ranking North Korean official, Hwang Jang-yop.

The two North Koreans, identified by their surnames Kim and

Dong, entered the country through China and Thailand, posing

as North Korean escapees.
Their real identities were exposed when their testimonies on

their escape from the North and the descriptions of their

hometowns did not add up during an investigation by the

National Intelligence Service.

The intelligence agency found that the two spies were major-

level officials of the North Korean army’s reconnaissance

bureau. The two men reportedly received direct orders from

the bureau’s head, Kim Yong-chol, to assassinate Hwang.
Hwang was the secretary of the ruling North Korean Workers'

Party and close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. He

defected to South Korea in 1997, becoming the highest-ranking

North Korean to have escaped from the communist state.