Korean Bar Association Urges Government to Respond Firmly to North Korean Citizen Killing Incident

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Korean Bar Association (President Lee Chan-hee) on the 25th urged the government to prepare measures to prevent recurrence in relation to the incident in which a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, Mr. Lee (47), went missing in the waters off Soyeonpyeongdo and was shot by North Korean soldiers.

In a statement released that day, the Korean Bar Association said, "The government must thoroughly verify the facts regarding all suspicions related to this incident." It also stated, "If there were problems with the military's response to this situation, strict military discipline, including holding those responsible accountable, must be established."

The Korean Bar Association further argued, "While it is important for the government to focus on inter-Korean exchange and cooperation projects such as health and medical cooperation and Mount Kumgang tourism, led by 'Pyeongha,' it must prioritize the lives and human rights of our citizens and make every effort to ensure that tragic incidents like this do not happen again."

While expressing deep condolences for the murdered Mr. Ji, the Korean Bar Association strongly condemned North Korea, saying, "Before discussing violations of the Panmunjom Declaration and the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement, we strongly denounce this atrocity as an anti-humanitarian crime that infringes on human dignity and value."

The Korean Bar Association announced that it plans to review all legal issues related to this incident under domestic and international law through the Special Committee on Unification Issues under the association. It emphasized, "We will not tolerate any illegal acts that infringe on the lives and human rights of our citizens by any forces."

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