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SEOUL: The missing South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korean soldiers at sea last week had expressed a willingness to defect to the soldiers, the South Korean Coast Guard said on Tuesday (September 29).
The official’s death sparked controversy after his older brother refuted the government’s initial claim that he may have tried to flee north.
The Coast Guard said that after an investigation based on CCTV footage, military intelligence and background searches, it determined that the official told North Korean troops that he wanted to defect and that they were aware of his detailed personal information.
READ: Seoul says North Korea ‘sorry’ for killing South Korean official at sea
“We confirmed that the north side had obtained his personal information that only he would know, including his name, age, hometown and height, and that the missing person had conveyed his will to go north,” Yoon Sung-hyun said. , Chief of Investigation and Intelligence for the Coast Guard.
Yoon said the possibility was “extremely low” that he had lost his balance or attempted to kill himself because he was wearing a life jacket and a flotation device when he was found about 38 kilometers from where he disappeared.
The man’s brother, Lee Rae-jin, had said that it must have been an accident since he had just bought a new ship and there was no reason to defect.
Yoon said the official had gone into debt more than 58 million won ($ 49,600), but it was not yet clear if he tried to flee because of it.
READ: South Korea asks North Korea to investigate fatal shooting of South Korean official
The Coast Guard and Navy have expanded the search for the man’s body involving dozens of ships after Pyongyang said the soldiers only burned a flotation device it was using, in an effort to avoid the risk of a new outbreak of coronavirus.
South Korea accused the North of dousing his body with fuel and setting it on fire after killing the man, and called for a joint investigation.
Pyongyang is silent on the joint investigation as of Tuesday, but leader Kim Jong Un has offered an apology. State media said the North was conducting its own search for the man’s body, but warned the South not to increase tension by meddling in its waters.
