[정치]Seo-wook: “On the day of the disappearance, it is judged that there is no possibility of North Korea” … Do not ask North Korea for cooperation

[앵커]

Shortly after the disappearance of our officials, who died after being attacked by the North Korean military, it turned out that our military decided that there was little chance that they would go to North Korea.

There are critics who criticize if the opportunity to rescue the missing public officials was lost due to the fact that he did not request the cooperation of the North for a single day.

Reporter Lim Seong-ho reports.

[기자]

In the state affairs audit of the Ministry of National Defense, opposition parties engaged in a battle over our army’s initial response to the attack by a public official.

Members of the opposition party argued that our military rescue efforts were grossly inadequate shortly after the disappearance of Officer A.

As a base, I heard that the military did not request cooperation from the North through military communication lines or international commercial lines on the day the disappearance was reported.

[하태경 / 국민의힘 소속 국회 국방위원 : 북한도 그 통신망을 통해서 듣고 있으니까, 우리가 실종자가 있다, 혹시라도 북한이 발견하면 우리한테 협조해라, 우리한테 인계해라, 이런 이야기를 해야 했던 거 아니에요? 그걸 왜 안 했어요?]

In response, the Defense Ministry explained that it was because on the first day of the disappearance it was determined that there was no possibility that it had passed north.

[서 욱 / 국방부 장관 : 월북 가능성이 낮다, 없다, 이렇게 보고를 받고, 평상시 저희가 북한의 선박이 떠내려오거나 표류자가 있으면 저희가 구조하듯이, (실종자도) 그런 모습으로 (북측에) 구조가 될 것으로 생각했습니다.]

Subsequently, he repeatedly explained that he was able to acknowledge the official’s discovery and the situation of voluntarily traveling to North Korea after synthesizing intelligence.

The ruling party also covered that the military’s response was appropriate.

[김병기 / 민주당 소속 국회 국방위원 : 군은 사실 가용 가능한 모든 정보 자산을 동원해서 관련 첩보를 적시에 신속하게 수집했다고 저는 생각을 합니다. 그리고 적시에 보고했다고 생각을 해요.]

In this case, the opposition party criticized the military for threatening security by recklessly revealing the military and IS’s “special handling of information”.

[홍영표 / 민주당 소속 국방위원 : 국가 기밀들이 이렇게 함부로 유출돼서 이렇게 야당에서 정치적으로 이용하고, 이것을(유출 경위를) 못 밝히면 안보지원사령부 해체하세요.]

As it turns out that the military did not contact the North despite the fact that the attacked official disappeared near the NLL in the West Sea, controversy over whether the initial response from the military was appropriate is likely to grow again.

This is YTN Seongho Lim.

[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]