Starting in April, South Korea will check information on inbound air passengers to sort out potential terrorists, officials said Wednesday, as Seoul seeks to beef up security ahead of major sporting events amid growing military threats from North Korea.
The government also decided to establish a system that would enable state anti-terrorism institutions to quickly share related information and disseminate it to citizens in emergencies, the officials said.
These plans were endorsed at a session of the national counterterrorism panel, presided over by Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn.
"Terrorist organizations could plot to carry out acts of terrorism regardless of the time and place even at this moment, and our citizens can also suffer damages at any time, like North Korea's rear-area operations given that North Korea has repeatedly threatened provocations," Hwang said during the session.
Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)
"With terrorist threats becoming increasingly tangible, the government must make its best efforts to ensure the citizen's safety through pre-emptively preventing terrorist attacks and putting in place a thorough terror response system," he added.MOST POPULAR