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On Tuesday, North Korean troops fired at the 47-year-old man who was adrift in its waters and cremated his body, according to the South Korean military. He disappeared the day before while I was in
duty near the Yellow Sea border island of Yeonpyeong.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un apologized for the incident on Friday in a message sent by the United Front Department, a key spy agency that handles inter-Korean affairs. The North claimed that what set fire was not his body, but an object he was using to stay afloat.
After holding the session of the National Security Council (NSC) on Friday night, the Seoul government decided to demand a further investigation and request a joint investigation, if necessary, Cheong Wa Dae said.
“As there are differences between North Korea’s explanation and our intelligence analysis, we decided to continue our investigation into the incident to reveal the truth,” the presidential office said.
He also promised “to take swift action to further strengthen a surveillance posture in the Yellow Sea to prevent such an incident from happening again.”
Another issue in question is whether the official had the intention of defecting to the communist country.
South Korean military officials said the man is alleged to have jumped into the sea on Monday in an alleged attempt to defect to North Korea, citing North Korea’s intercepted signal intelligence.
But the North Korean message only noted that “the illegal intruder must flee” while disobeying their verbal security checks.
On Friday, the South Korean Coast Guard asked the military to share information about the man’s alleged attempted desertion, but the military said it will inform the Coast Guard on Monday if it will provide relevant information.
The two Koreas also had different versions of who ordered the assassination.
South Korean officials said the brutal act appears to have been carried out in accordance with “orders from a higher authority,” although they said they could not confirm exactly who approved the killing.
The North, however, said that the decision was made by the head of the patrol boat and that the actions taken were in line with its code of conduct.
It remains to be seen whether North Korea will comply with South Korea’s request.
North Korea has not accepted Seoul’s call for a joint investigation into similar cases, including the death of Park Wang-ja, who was shot at North Korea’s Kumgang mountain resort while traveling there in July. 2008.
Meanwhile, the main opposition People’s Power Party (PPP) lashed out at the presidential office and the ruling Democratic Party for “appreciating the murderers’ apologies,” and asked President Moon Jae-in to come forward and explain all the details to dispel the growing suspicions.
“If the government tries to cover up the incident with Kim Jong-un’s letter, it will provoke even greater public anger,” said interim PPP leader Kim Chong-in. “We should take the case to the International Court of Justice and the UN Security Council.”
Kim also met with the unfortunate official’s brother, surnamed Lee, earlier in the day. The brother blamed the government for not taking adequate measures to prevent the tragedy. Lee also complained that the government claimed without strong evidence that his younger brother appeared to have tried to defect north. (Yonhap)
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