National Police Agency, Inspection of Police Response to 'Defector's Northward Crossing Incident'

Police Agency building./Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Police Agency has formed a special investigation team to conduct an internal inspection regarding the case of a man in his 20s, a North Korean defector accused of sexual assault, who defected back to North Korea.

On the 31st, the National Police Agency announced that a joint team combining inspection and security functions has begun verifying the facts related to this case. A police official stated, "Apart from the joint investigation team formed by the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency, we are reviewing the police response process," adding, "Appropriate measures will be taken based on the investigation results."

Kim Mo (24), who defected from North Korea in 2017 and recently returned to North Korea, had been under police protection for less than five years since his defection. However, the Gimpo Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, which was protecting Kim, was unaware of his defection back to North Korea despite investigating him on sexual assault charges.

It is estimated that Kim defected back to North Korea in the early hours of the 18th of this month. The police imposed a travel ban on him on the 20th, after his defection, and applied for an arrest warrant on the 21st.

Earlier, the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency announced the investigation details of the sexual assault case and police measures, stating that a joint investigation team would be formed to examine whether the police took appropriate actions.

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