Agents of discord: inside Pyongyang’s plot to sow South Korea-Japan chaos
Newly uncovered court documents have revealed how North Korean spies exploited South Korean outage over Japan’s nuclear waste-water release.
When Japan announced its plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, the backlash was swift and fierce – especially in South Korea. But behind the anger lay a shadowy culprit: a North Korean spy ring tasked with inflaming tensions and fracturing regional ties.
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Disguised as trade unionists, the agents orchestrated boycotts and exploited protests to incite anti-Japanese sentiment and sabotage the fragile alliance between Tokyo and Seoul, transcripts from a South Korean court case have revealed.
Four members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), South Korea’s largest labour federation, were sentenced in November to prison terms ranging from five to 15 years on charges of espionage.
Convicted under South Korea’s National Security Act, the unnamed men had been operating as agents of North Korea’s Cultural Exchange Bureau – a benign-sounding front for the 225th Department of Pyongyang’s ruling Workers’ Party, which specialises in foreign operations and recruitment.
The espionage ring’s anti-Japanese activities came to light after the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun requested court documents detailing the agents’ orders. The records revealed that the group had received 89 directives from their North Korean handlers and submitted 13 detailed reports on their operations. Among their instructions was the order: “stir anti-Japanese public opinion and drive the confrontation between Japan and South Korea into an irreversible situation”.
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What is tritium? The radioactive element that caused controversy during the Fukushima water release
What is tritium? The radioactive element that caused controversy during the Fukushima water release
This directive, issued in May 2021, coincided with Tokyo’s announcement that it would release treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Despite assurances from the International Atomic Energy Agency that the discharge met safety standards, the move sparked outrage across the region, with South Korea’s anti-nuclear and environmental groups leading the charge. The North Korean agents seized on the public outcry, amplifying anti-Japanese sentiment and encouraging protests.
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