South Korean authorities have arrested a North Korean female spy who posed as a refugee in order to obtain classified information on Seoul's subway system, a news report said yesterday.

The information could be used for terrorist attacks, Seoul's Yonhap news agency said, citing the National Intelligence Service and Seoul prosecutors.

The 36-year-old woman, known only by her family name Kim, entered South Korea via China and Laos in September 2009, passing herself off as a North Korean defector, Yonhap said.

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