Family of North Korean Military Shooting Victim Requests UN Investigation: "Please Reveal the Atrocity" (Summary)

"Ban Ki-moon Advises 'Cooperate with Warmbier Family'"
Press Conference on Information Disclosure Request Scheduled for 3 PM on the 6th
Requesting North Korean Military Intercept Recordings and Corpse Mutilation Video Files

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Lee Rae-jin (55), the older brother of Lee Mo (47), a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was shot dead by North Korean soldiers in the northern waters of Soyeonpyeongdo in the West Sea, has requested the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul to investigate the circumstances of his brother's death.

On the 6th, Lee held a press conference in front of the building in Jongno-gu where the UN Human Rights Office is located, stating, "I want to inform the international community of North Korea's brutal atrocities and request a fair and objective investigation at the UN level." Lawmakers Tae Young-ho and Ha Tae-kyung of the People Power Party attended the press conference with him.

In the letter of request for investigation addressed to Thomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, Lee said, "I hope this issue will not be seen as a simple shooting incident but will serve as a foundation to widely expose North Korea's atrocities for the future and prevent recurrence."

He added, "I hope this will be an opportunity to stop North Korea's atrocities and ensure universal human rights are absolutely guaranteed to everyone," and appealed, "I urge numerous countries around the world that protect freedom and human rights to actively participate so that my brother's sacrifice becomes a valuable messenger of peace."

Lee said he sought advice from former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, stating, "Former Secretary-General Ban mentioned the case of Otto Warmbier (the American university student who was detained in North Korea, repatriated, and died), suggesting it would be good to listen to the family and cooperate closely."

Lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung said, "There are media reports that even within North Korea, violations of COVID-19 quarantine rules are handled under military law," adding, "I suspect the official's shooting happened in that context, and since the South Korean government has confirmed this, we are requesting the UN to additionally investigate the situation in North Korea."

Ha explained, "We are consulting with lawyers on whether this can proceed similarly to the Warmbier case. We can file a lawsuit against North Korea," and added, "The South Korean government has neglected its duty to protect its citizens, so we are also reviewing this legally."

Lawmaker Tae Young-ho said, "North Korea itself has admitted the shooting of the North Korean soldier in front of the world, fulfilling the requirements for a UN investigation," and added, "Since our government did not disclose the shooting incident of our official, we are trying to leverage the UN's power."

Additionally, Lee will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. in front of the Ministry of National Defense regarding a request for information disclosure.

Lee plans to request the disclosure of two pieces of information: the North Korean military's intercepted audio recordings from 3:30 p.m. to 10:51 p.m. on the 22nd of last month, and a video file recorded on the same day from 10:11 p.m. to 10:51 p.m. showing North Korean soldiers mutilating the body of the shot official.

Lee stated, "If the Ministry of National Defense discloses the materials, we will be able to know whether there was an expression of intent to defect to the North as previously announced, whether the voice is indeed my deceased brother's, and whether he spoke according to his true intentions in front of the North Korean soldiers' guns."

Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense announced that based on intelligence obtained through interception and other methods, the deceased Lee expressed his intention to defect to the North but was shot. However, the content of the intelligence that formed the basis of this judgment was not disclosed. The Korea Coast Guard also announced interim investigation results on the incident, stating that Lee appeared to have voluntarily defected. The Coast Guard cited that "the North knew detailed personal information about the missing person" and "it would be difficult to drift to the actual discovery location without artificial effort" as grounds for the strong possibility of defection.

However, the bereaved family is protesting, saying they cannot trust the government's announcement. Lee's older brother pointed out at a press conference with foreign reporters on the 29th that based on his brother's usual behavior, it cannot be concluded that he defected, and that the government's announcement of the investigation results was too hasty. Along with this, Lee's older brother also disclosed a handwritten letter written by Lee's son, who passed away on the 5th.

In the letter, the son wrote, "I want to ask if you really think it makes sense that Dad, who never professionally learned to swim and has a slim build, swam 38 km against the current," and said, "This is just what the country says, but our family has never seen any evidence, so we cannot believe such an announcement."

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