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According to media reports, a South Korean ministry official may have been shot and killed by North Korean soldiers while attempting to separate from the sea border to the north while on a ship.
There are indications that the body of the 47-year-old official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries was recovered from North Korean waters and taken to North Korea, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Wednesday night (local time), citing informants.
The Seoul Defense Ministry did not initially confirm the information. Consequently, it was previously unclear whether the missing man was alive or dead.
The man disappeared from the boat
The officer was reported missing on Monday. According to the Defense Ministry, he was on a control trip about ten kilometers south of the maritime border line off the west coast of South Korea when he suddenly disappeared from the ship. South Korea 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.
According to Yonhap, information is now available that North Korea cremated the official’s body as a measure against the possible spread of the coronavirus. 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. (SDA)
