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North Korean soldiers reportedly shot and burned a South Korean. He had been missing since a patrol trip. The ruler of North Korea, Kim, personally apologized, an unusual reaction.
North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un apologized for the shooting of a South Korean ministerial official near the maritime border by North Korean soldiers. This was reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing the presidential office. Kim said he was “very sorry” for the “unexpected” and “unfortunate” incident, said Suh Hoon, an adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae In. Soldiers shot the man believing him to be an intruder. Kim described the incident as a “shameful affair.” He apologized for “disappointing President Moon Jae In and the South Koreans.” It is highly unusual for a North Korean ruler to apologize for rivaling South Korea.
A blow to inter-Korean relations
In South Korea, the incident is seen as a blow to the government’s efforts to resume the broken dialogue with the neighboring country. The National Security Council condemned North Korea’s actions. It was said that there was no justification for the soldiers firing at an unarmed South Korean citizen and desecrating his body, he said.
The incident occurred earlier this week. According to Seoul, the 47-year-old official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries was on a mission on a patrol boat near the maritime border off the west coast of South Korea when he suddenly disappeared from the ship. That was a mystery in his homeland. He was later reported missing.
Shot with a life jacket floating in the water.
The national Yonhap news agency later reported, citing insiders, that he may have been shot on the North Korean side. It cannot be ruled out that the man wanted to go to North Korea. Initially there was no confirmation of this.
The South Korean military later stated that the shooting could be confirmed based on intelligence information analysis. Consequently, a North Korean patrol boat had tracked down the man wearing a life jacket at sea on Tuesday. The crew donned gas masks and interrogated him from a safe distance. He was shot while floating in the water.
Drastic crown measurement?
South Korea had previously launched a search for him using ships and planes. At first it was said that the current could have pushed it into North Korean waters. However, according to Yonhap, there is now information that North Korea cremated the official’s body as a measure against the possible spread of the corona virus. Ahn Young Ho, a high-ranking South Korean military man, also said North Korea likely shot the officials following strict coronavirus guidelines that included “arbitrary shooting.”
Defense Secretary Suh Wook said the official is believed to have tried to defecate North Korea because he left his shoes on the ship, donned a life jacket and took refuge in the floating object when he was found in North Korean waters.
South Korea’s secret service is investigating
South Korea’s secret service is currently investigating what may have caused the man to overflow into the isolated neighboring country. Reports of South Korean defection are rare. A North Korean refugee who had lived in South Korea for three years returned to his homeland in July. The South Korean military suspected at the time that the man had swam from the border island of Ganghwa to North Korea.
