North Korea wants to arrest South Korean intelligence chief

North Korea on May 12 demanded that South Korea hand over the head of its intelligence agency, accusing him of "directing" a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong-un.

Last week, the KCNA news agency quoted a statement from North Korean officials accusing the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) of colluding to "assassinate the supreme leader" with biochemical weapons.

On May 11, Pyongyang demanded that Seoul and Washington hand over “terrorist suspects” involved in the plot, but did not name any of them.

A day later, the North Korean Central Prosecutors' Office named one of the "masterminds" as NIS Director Lee Byung-ho, and announced three other suspects including two Southern agents and a Chinese, according to Reuters on May 12.

However, Pyongyang did not specify how many "terrorist" suspects it was hunting for in the plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong-un, nor their identities.

Mr. Lee served as head of the NIS under President Park Geun-hye. After taking office, new President Moon Jae-in nominated Mr. Suh Hoon to replace Mr. Lee. However, he will remain in office until the National Assembly approves Mr. Suh.

The NIS had previously denied any involvement in the assassination plot. In response to Pyongyang’s latest statement, South Korea’s spy agency said it had no information on the allegations, and Lee himself declined to comment.

According to Thanh Nien