Alleged North Korean Spy Captured

An alleged North Korean spy has been captured in South Korea, a news report said Monday.

The National Intelligence Service, the South's spy agency, said the man had traveled to Southeast Asia where he acquired forged identity documents before arriving in the South at an unspecified date, Yonhap news agency reported.

The man, a 48-year-old identified only by his family name Jeong, was arrested in late July and his case has been transferred to prosecutors.

The capture of the alleged North Korean spy is the first since President Roh Moo-hyun came to office in 2003 and a rare occurrence in South Korea, which has sought reconciliation with its communist enemy under the "sunshine" policy espoused by former President Kim Dae-jung.

Between 1996 and 1998, the alleged spy traveled three times to South Korea, the NIS told Yonhap. No details were given about the intelligence the suspect allegedly gathered.

The NIS and prosecutors' office declined to comment on the report.