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On the 21st, an official in his 40s who disappeared while on a fishing guide boat near the Northern Limit Line of the West Sea (NLL) was reportedly killed after being shot by the North Korean military. Later, it was reported that the North recovered the body of this official and even cremated it.
If it is finally confirmed that the death of a civilian occurred 12 years after the late Prince Park attack on Mount Geumgang in July 2008 during the Lee Myung-bak administration, inter-Korean relations are expected to break down in the future. The Moon Jae-in administration, which has entered its fourth year in power, is making an effort to improve inter-Korean relations while pouring cold water on it.
On the 21st, a civil servant in his 40s disappeared into the sea near Soyeonpyeong Island, near the Northern Limit Line of the Western Sea (NLL). The missing person was shot to death by North Korean forces and the body was later cremated. The picture shows a navy high-speed boat sailing off the coast of Daeyeonpyeong Island on July 1. [연합뉴스]
According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 23rd, there was a report that an official A (47, belonging to the Mokpo Western Sea Fisheries Guidance Management Group), who was on the fishing guide boat of the Ministry of Oceans and Pesca, disappeared from the sea about 1.9 km south of Soyeonpyeong Island around 12:51 pm on the 21st. He was received by the maritime police.
At around 11:30 a.m. this day, A was not visible and the passengers went out to look for him, but only A’s shoes were found inside the boat. Upon receipt of the report, a total of 20 ships, including marine and marine vessels, as well as ships and aircraft, were dispatched to search the missing sea area, but could not find Mr. A.
However, that day, military and intelligence authorities confirmed the death of Mr. A. A military source said: “As a result of the combination of various intelligences, it appears that a North Korean guard who found Mr. A approaching the coast North was shot dead. After that, the body was recovered and cremated. ”
Regarding the cremation of the North, he said, “It appears to be a measure to quarantine the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19).”
The military is reported to have reported the relevant facts to the National Assembly Defense Commissioner, Min Hong-cheol, in the early morning before reporting the disappearance to Ministry of Defense reporters. An official from the ruling party’s defense committee said: “While explaining the history of the incident, Mr. A explained that he is investigating the possibility that Mr. A has fled to North Korea and that the tide has let him go.” .
According to military authorities, it is difficult to determine whether Mr. A simply failed or deliberately fled North Korea due to unnatural circumstances, such as the presence of shoes at the time of the disappearance.
The Unification Ministry also said: “As verification and analysis by the relevant authorities are in progress, we will review the necessary measures while we monitor the situation.”
If it is finally confirmed that Mr. A was attacked and killed by the North Korean military, it will have a major impact on inter-Korean relations. At the time of the attack on the late Prince Park, North Korea explained that “the guard accidentally fired.” As such, there is also the possibility that the North will argue this time about the possibility of accidental accidents other than the higher order. One official said: “The situation involving senior North Korean officials has not been confirmed.”
At the end of last month, to prevent the influx of the new coronavirus, North Korea issued a “shoot and kill for any reason” order on people approaching within 1 km of the North Korea-China border, reported the 28 of last month. Measures may have been taken on the north-south border.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry plans to give a briefing on the incident on the 24th.
Reporters Sangjin Kim and Yonghan Park [email protected]
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