South Korean police have arrested two people, including a Korean who has a business in New Zealand, for allegedly engaging in espionage activities concerning military equipment for North Korea.
‘Lee’, 74, had been in parole since 1990 after being released from life imprisonment on espionage charges in 1974. ‘Kim’, 56, a businessman, is a New Zealand citizen who has deals in North Korea. The pair were suspected of gathering intelligence on military equipment and devices capable of disturbing Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, according to police statements. The police say they already have evidence to prove that the two men were indeed spying.
Spying for the North is punishable by death in South Korea. Relations from either side of the Demilitarized Zone became tense when Seoul accused Pyongyang of blocking GPS systems used by civilian aircraft and ships. North Korea denied the allegations, saying that they were “sheer fabrications”.
