The brother of the South Korean fisheries official who was last week killed at sea by North Korean soldiers yesterday rejected the South Korean government’s claim that the man had expressed his willingness to defect to the soldiers.
The death of the official, who was only identified by his surname, Lee, sparked a dispute over why and how he was found floating in North Korean waters nearly 36 hours after he went missing.
The South Korean coast guard said that it has determined after an investigation based on security footage, military intelligence and background records that Lee told the North Korean troops that he wished to defect and they were aware of his detailed personal information.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“We have confirmed that the North side had secured his personal information that he would only know, including his name, age, hometown and height, and that the missing person had conveyed his willingness to go to the North,” said Yoon Sung-hyun, chief of investigation and intelligence at the South Korean coast guard.
It was an “extremely low” possibility that Lee had lost his footing or attempted to take his own life, because he was wearing a life vest and a flotation device when found about 38km away from where he went missing, Yoon said.
He said that the official had run up debt of about 330 million won (US$282,285), mostly from gambling, but it was still unclear whether he sought to flee because of that.
However, the man’s brother, Lee Rae-jin, said that it must have been an accident, as the official had been proud of his job, just got a new boat and left a government identification card that would have facilitated his defection.
He questioned the government’s evidence, suggesting that the North could have manipulated audios, as both militaries frequently eavesdrop on each other.
“Most old men of our age are indebted and have family issues, but who would go to the North because of that?” he told a news conference.
Lee accused the South Korean government and the military of letting slip “golden opportunities” to save his brother by refusing his requests for more ships and helicopters during an initial search while his brother was still floating in the waters.
He said that only several boats and one helicopter were mobilized on Monday and Tuesday last week.
His brother went missing on Monday last week and was shot dead the following day.
“My brother had even rejected to join my business, saying he would retire as a public servant and was proud of that,” he said.
The South Korean coast guard and navy this week expanded their search for the man’s body, dispatching dozens of ships after Pyongyang said that the soldiers only burned a flotation device he was using in an effort to head off the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak.
South Korea has accused the North of dousing his body in fuel and setting it on fire after killing the man, calling for a joint investigation.
Pyongyang has remained silent about a joint probe, but North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has offered an apology.
State media said that the North was conducting its own search for the man’s body, but warned the South against raising tension by intruding into its waters.
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