Democratic Party: "'Shot Public Official's' Defection to North Korea Confirmed as Fact... Based on Dialogue"

"Hanmi Intelligence Obtained Through Various Channels... Source Cannot Be Disclosed for National Interest"
"More Cooperative Investigation Needed on Whether the Body Was Mutilated"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Jeon Jinyoung] The Democratic Party of Korea stated regarding the incident of a South Korean citizen being shot by North Korea, "It is becoming confirmed as a fact that the individual defected to the North."

The Democratic Party's 'Special Committee for Joint Investigation and Prevention Measures on the Shooting Death of Our Civilian in North Korean Waters' held a press conference at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 28th to announce this. Chairman Hwang Hee and Secretary Kim Byungjoo received a confidential briefing for about 30 minutes from officials of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before the press conference.

Chairman Hwang, immediately after the military report, said at the press conference, "We deeply sympathize with the bereaved families," but reaffirmed, "According to intelligence and information obtained through various channels between South Korea and the U.S., it is becoming confirmed as a fact that the individual defected to the North."

However, Chairman Hwang emphasized, "For national interests, we cannot disclose the sources of the information any further. However, factual materials exist and will be preserved going forward, so I clearly state that this is an issue that cannot be concealed." He also urged restraint toward the opposition party, saying, "We strongly caution against politicizing this issue, which concerns the protection of intelligence assets between South Korea and the U.S. and the safety of our citizens."

When asked by reporters about the reason for attempting to defect to the North, he said, "That is too specific," but added, "According to the intelligence network obtained through various channels, some details have emerged. There is circumstantial evidence confirming the intention to defect during conversations between the North Korean patrol boat and the affected public official." He continued, "The Ministry of National Defense is making judgments based on more than just the neatly arranged life jacket, floating objects, and shoes; they have received additional information."

Regarding the conflicting positions with the North on the mutilation of the body, Chairman Hwang left room for further investigation, saying, "Whether only floating objects were burned as the North claims, or if the body was also burned, requires more cooperative investigation between both sides." Previously, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the North Korean military shot the missing public official, poured oil, and burned the body for 40 minutes.

On the intelligence about the body burning obtained by the military, he said, "The light seen at sea must have been from an infrared camera. It is not a detailed image, but something viewed as a screen video," adding, "There may be some limitations, so a joint investigation or at least cooperation is necessary to clarify this."

Regarding plans to meet with the bereaved families, he said, "We will meet and explain," and added, "We will carefully address the issue, being cautious of causing unnecessary hardship due to the fact of defection."

The special committee within the Democratic Party includes Chairman Hwang, Secretary Kim, along with Representatives Kim Byunggi, Kim Youngho, Yoon Jaegap, Yoon Geonyoung, Oh Younghwan, and Mr. Hwang Gicheol and Mr. Ryu Heein, totaling nine members appointed.

The special committee will focus on fact-finding and plans to create a South-North joint response manual for preventing recurrence, which will be proposed to the North.

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