'Northward Defector' Takes Taxi to Ganghwado Border Area Early Morning on 18th... Police Form Joint Investigation Team

"Police Ignored Report," Acquaintance Claims
Police Clarify, "No Report Related to Re-entry into North Korea"

The appearance of Mr. Kim before defecting to North Korea while staying in South Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Regarding the case of Kim Mo (24), a North Korean defector who is presumed to have defected to North Korea while under police investigation for sexual assault charges, the police have decided to form a joint investigation team and begin clarifying the circumstances.

According to the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency on the 27th, Kim used the vehicle of an acquaintance, a defector YouTuber, to travel to Gyodongdo Island in Ganghwa County, Incheon on the 17th of this month. Then, around 2:20 a.m. the next day, he took a taxi to a border area in Ganghwa-eup, Ganghwa County. Police and military authorities found a bag belonging to Kim near that area. It is presumed that Kim escaped by avoiding military surveillance posts, using a drainage channel under a breakwater, and then swam across to defect to North Korea.

Kim was under investigation as a suspect for sexual assault last month and had been booked by the police. He was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he knew at his home in Gimpo around 1:20 a.m. on the 12th of last month. The victim’s boyfriend reported the incident to 112 at 3:26 a.m. the same day, and the police immediately collected evidence and requested analysis from the National Forensic Service. On the 4th of this month, they were notified that Kim’s DNA was detected on the victim’s body. A police official explained, “Despite the suspect’s statement that he was intoxicated and does not remember, the detection of DNA indicated criminal suspicion, and the investigation was ongoing.”

The defector YouTuber who lent Kim the vehicle had earlier informed the police on the afternoon of the 18th that Kim intended to defect to North Korea, but claimed that the police officer ignored the report. In response, the police explained, “On that day, we received four 112 reports stating ‘a younger acquaintance borrowed a vehicle and has not returned it,’ but there was no mention of re-defection to North Korea.” The police later, considering the risk of flight, imposed a travel ban on Kim on the 20th and applied for an arrest warrant on the 21st. They also conducted investigations including location tracking on the 24th to secure custody, but Kim had already defected to North Korea by then.

Considering the seriousness of the matter, the police will form a joint investigation team to investigate whether the overall investigation and measures regarding the sexual assault case, the response to the 112 reports from the suspect’s acquaintances, and the handling of tips related to re-defection were appropriate. They also plan to conduct a joint investigation with relevant authorities into Kim’s activities related to his re-defection to North Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.