SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korean Prime Minister Goh Kun on Friday ordered a strengthened security alert for national carriers and South Korean missions abroad following terrorist threats in Bangkok, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

    The order was issued early in the morning by Goh after receiving a telephone report by the National Intelligence Service and the Foreign Ministry, Yonhap said.

    The Home Affairs Ministry was to convene a counter-terrorism meeting to discuss detailed measures.

    The heightened alert will apply to airlines, South Korean missions overseas, foreign missions in South Korea, and South Korean residents abroad.

    The South Korean Embassy in Thailand received a letter Thursdaythreatening terrorist attacks against South Korean companies and organizations in Asia, specifically naming Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

    A group calling itself the "Anti-Korean Interests Agency (AKIA)" claimed the attacks would begin from Jan. 7. The letter was dated Jan. 1.

    Officials in Seoul suspect the group harbors hostility at SouthKorea's treatment of illegal foreign workers but said they needed to investigate further.

    South Korean recently ordered illegal foreign workers must leave the country.

    Local airline companies issued emergency security guidelines totighten checks of passengers and cargo. They also required a male flight attendant to be present on all flights, said Yonhap. Enditem