"Something Was Indeed Inside the Slipper Rope" North Korea, Traces of the Shot-Dead Public Official

Mr. A Reported Missing to Coast Guard by Other Crew at 11:30 AM on the Day
Shoe of Mr. A Found Inside the Ship... Buried Among Thick Ropes

On the 24th, the Incheon Coast Guard investigated the fishing guidance vessel Mugungho 10, which the public official A (47), who recently died from gunfire by North Korea, was on in the waters off Soyeonpyeongdo, Ongjin-gun, Incheon. The photo shows A's slipper left on the Mugungho 10. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A photo of slippers presumed to belong to A (47), a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who went missing near Soyeonpyeongdo, the northernmost island in the West Sea, and was shot dead by North Korea, has been released.

On the 24th, the Incheon Coast Guard released a photo of slippers taken during an on-site investigation of the fishing guidance vessel Mugunghwa 10, which A boarded before his death. In the photo, the slippers are buried in a pile of thick ropes.

The Coast Guard stated, "It is true that the slippers were inside the ropes when found," but added, "The shape of the ropes may have changed slightly." In other words, there may be differences from the state in which the slippers were placed at the time of disappearance.

Earlier, A, a marine fisheries clerk (grade 8) belonging to the West Sea Fisheries Guidance Management Unit in Mokpo under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, went missing on the 21st about 1.2 miles (2 km) south of Soyeonpyeongdo.

On the day of disappearance, A was not seen around 11:30 a.m. during lunchtime, and other crew members searched inside the vessel and nearby waters before reporting to the Coast Guard. At that time, A’s shoes were found inside the vessel.

Later, on the afternoon of the 22nd, about 3:30 p.m., a North Korean fisheries enterprise vessel reportedly first found A in the waters near Deungsanggot, about 3 to 4 km north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. This location is approximately 38 km northwest from the initial missing report point, 2.2 km south of Soyeonpyeongdo.

However, the North Korean side shot A dead on the sea about six hours after discovering him, around 9:40 p.m. the same day, and at 10:11 p.m., the South Korean military confirmed that the North poured oil on the body and burned it at sea. Ultimately, A was shot and killed by North Korean forces about 34 hours after the missing report was filed, and the body was burned.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries stated that it is difficult to consider A’s disappearance as a simple accidental fall from the vessel.

On the 24th, Um Gidu, Director of Fisheries Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said in an online briefing, "During the search for A by colleagues, A’s slippers were found neatly placed on the starboard stern of the fishing guidance vessel," adding, "While the possibility of an accidental fall cannot be completely ruled out, it is unlikely." He also noted, "The weather conditions on the day of disappearance were favorable."

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