“Korea Is Prime Target for Terrorist Attack”

The United States Forces Korea (USFK) is worried that South Korea could be a ‘prime target’ of terrorists and is seeking countermeasures to terrorist attacks, reported Stars and Stripes, the in-house U.S. armed forces newspaper, on May 13.

“They want to pick places that haven’t been hit,” said Lt. Col. Anthony Allen, deputy chief of antiterrorism and force protection. “Korea is a prime target.”

He also said South Korea is “the perfect place to plan a future attack” because it is safe and has stable businesses, a growing Islamic community, and a small group of people who oppose the U.S. military presence here.

He said currently there are no credible threats against USFK bases, but officials have increased surveillance since the recent arrests of six Muslims who planned to shoot soldiers at New Jersey’s Fort Dix.

“The terrorists are being more wide ranging. They’re not here looking at striking the United States. They’re looking at representatives of the United States, and a representative of the United States is an American soldier,” he said. He expected that terrorists could attack solders at popular off-base bars and restaurants rather than on base where security is tight.

USFK officials investigated 27 suspicious incidents this year as of May 10, and 81 incidents in 2006, according to Stars and Stripes.

ysh1005@donga.com