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South Korean patrol vessel near the sea border with North Korea – Screenshot Yonhap
Yonhap, citing anonymous intelligence sources, said on September 24 that the 47-year-old official disappeared from a fishing patrol boat on September 21. Its location was missing about 10 kilometers south of the actual maritime boundary between South Korea and North Korea.
The exact reason why the 47-year-old official was shot is currently unknown, but the North Korean military may have acted under the anti-COVID-19 order, Yonhap said, citing multiple sources. According to a US military commander in South Korea, North Korea ordered “gunfire” to prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering the country.
The Ministry of National Defense and the Korean National Intelligence Service did not respond to requests for comment. A Yonhap intelligence source said the gunman was trying to escape to North Korea, but it is unclear why he did so.
His colleagues only found the shoes in the patrol boat, so they immediately reported it to the Coast Guard. An emergency search campaign was launched with the participation of about 20 ships and aircraft.
“North Korea may have cremated the body of the South Korean official as a measure to prevent COVID-19,” an intelligence source told Yonhap. “We have not found evidence that any high-ranking official was involved in this case.”
North Korea has not responded to Yonhap’s information. According to Reuters, several defections from South Korea to North Korea have been discovered this year.
Last week, South Korean police arrested a person they believe tried to return to North Korea by breaking into a military training site in the South Korean border city of Cheorwon.
In July, according to South Korean media, a Korean who fled south three years ago fled north, raising concerns that it brought SARS-CoV-2 to North Korea.
His arrival prompted North Korean officials to blockade a border city and quarantine thousands of people.
