[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Shooting at Our People... Reenactment of the Park Wang-ja Incident

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As it has been confirmed that North Korea fired shots at a South Korean public official and burned the body, controversy over North Korea's excessive response is growing. This is because it is no different from the shooting incident of Park Wang-ja, who died during the Kumgangsan tourism 12 years ago in July 2008.

The Ministry of National Defense strongly condemned North Korea's actions using the strong term "atrocity" and demanded punishment for those responsible. Accordingly, the possibility of a deterioration in inter-Korean relations has increased. In particular, since the shooting incident occurred the day before President Moon Jae-in mentioned a declaration of the end of the war at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on the 23rd, the public's backlash is expected to grow even stronger.

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, said at the emergency committee meeting that day, "North Korea has not changed, but President Moon still talked about the declaration of the end of the war yesterday. It inevitably feels truly irresponsible," and condemned, "We cannot help but feel great anger at North Korea's barbaric behavior."

Currently, the details of the North Korean military's shooting and the body of the killed public official have not been confirmed. However, intelligence authorities are known to have intercepted communications between North Korean soldiers near the frontline unit on the day of the incident and confirmed the content. At that time, the military reportedly captured communications indicating that North Korean soldiers fired shots at the South Korean public official found in North Korean waters and cremated the body.

Various analyses are emerging regarding North Korea's shooting, but it seems difficult to avoid criticism that it was an excessive act. First, it is evaluated that this may have come from a sensitive response process to block the inflow of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). If North Korea did not even hand over the public official's body to the South and immediately cremated it, it shows how sensitively they are on alert for COVID-19 prevention.

In the past, North Korea would capture defectors or those who crossed over and investigate their identity and background before repatriation. Since blocking COVID-19 inflow is the top national priority, it is possible that extraordinary measures were taken. Previously, in October 2017, North Korea seized a South Korean fishing boat with seven crew members who had crossed about 80 km into North Korean waters, investigated them, and returned the ship the following month. During the tense inter-Korean relations under the Park Geun-hye administration in 2014, a person named Kim who illegally entered North Korea was investigated and repatriated to the South, and in 2013, six South Koreans who defected to the North were collectively repatriated.

Some speculate that, learning from the case of a defector from Kaesong who returned to the North, internal orders may have been issued to shoot anyone crossing the inter-Korean border, including both defectors to the South and returnees to the North. When this incident occurred, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un urgently convened an expanded emergency meeting of the Party Political Bureau on July 26. At this meeting, a state of emergency was declared in the relevant area, a special alert was issued, and the national emergency quarantine system was switched to a "maximum emergency system." Since then, the tension of military units guarding the border area is believed to have been considerably high.

As a South Korean citizen was killed by North Korean soldiers' rifle fire and the body was burned, inter-Korean relations are expected to worsen further. North Korea has openly expressed hostility toward the Moon Jae-in administration and continues to ignore South Korea's aid and refuses dialogue despite COVID-19 and typhoon damages.

North Korea's shooting of a South Korean civilian is difficult to excuse from the perspective of Korean sentiment that values human life and human rights, regardless of whether it was to block COVID-19 or any other justification. Therefore, it is highly likely to spread negative perceptions of North Korea domestically and become an obstacle to resolving inter-Korean relations in the long term.

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