"Did the Son Really Write It Himself?" Mockery Extends to Son of North Korean Killed Official

Civic Group Files Complaint Against Netizens Defaming Son and Brother of North Korea Shooting Victim Official
"Restore Dad's Honor," Letter from Murdered Official's Son to Moon Jae-in

On the 5th, Lee Rae-jin, the older brother of Mr. Lee, a government official who was shot and killed in North Korea, revealed a handwritten letter from Mr. Lee's son addressed to President Moon Jae-in.
In the letter, Mr. Lee's son said, "(My father) took pride in his profession and showed his patriotism through participation in events such as Liberation Day and the March 1st Movement anniversary." He also stated, "(My father) was a public official of the Republic of Korea and a citizen who deserved protection," adding, "Please restore my father's honor so that my mother, younger sibling, and I can live without despair."
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 5th, a letter written by the son of Lee Mo (47), a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was shot and killed by North Korean soldiers last month, to President Moon Jae-in was made public. Meanwhile, some supporters of the president attacked the son with malicious comments, causing a controversy. A civic group has filed a complaint with the prosecution against the netizens who posted the malicious comments.

On the 6th, the Civic Group for Judicial Exam Preparation (Sajunmo) stated in a press release, "We have submitted a complaint to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office through the National Petition Portal demanding punishment for netizens who posted false comments defaming Lee Rae-jin and Lee’s son in articles related to Lee’s public letter."

The ten individuals reported by Sajunmo posted malicious comments such as, "Do you really think the son wrote all of that by himself? Absolutely not. The deceased’s older brother or some forces behind him must be involved," "That so-called older brother is blinded by money and is using his nephew," and "Someone ordered it. Your father is a defector who fled to the North after being unable to pay gambling debts and abandoning his children."

Through the complaint, Sajunmo argued, "These comments risk undermining the authenticity of the victim’s handwritten letter and implanting the perception among the public that the victim is merely a puppet controlled by someone. Furthermore, they risk creating the impression that Lee Rae-jin is acting for money despite fighting to restore his younger brother’s honor," adding, "As a result, the victims’ honor has been or may be damaged."

They continued, "To prevent secondary harm to the victims, we have filed this complaint based on Article 70, Paragraph 2 of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, a non-prosecution offense upon complaint," explaining the reason for the report.

Earlier, on the 5th, Lee Rae-jin, the older brother of the official killed by North Korea, revealed a handwritten letter from his high school sophomore nephew Lee to the president.

Starting with the sentence, "To the Honorable President," Lee introduced himself as "the son of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was unjustly shot by North Korean soldiers."

He wrote, "We spoke as usual, and my younger brother even said he would come home in a few days and we had a video call," adding, "Suddenly, my father went missing, and unverified stories have been circulating in the media and articles every day." He further said, "My young brother who knows nothing, my mother, and I live every day in pain."

Lee also directly refuted the government’s claim of defection, stating, "My father never professionally learned swimming," and asked, "Do you really think it makes sense that he swam 39 km against the current?"

He then asked the president, "I want to ask you, Mr. President, if the person suffering this pain now were your child or grandchild, could you still act the same way?" He also asked, "What efforts did the state make to save my father’s life at that time, and why was he not saved?"

Finally, he earnestly appealed, "I sincerely ask the president to restore my father’s honor so that my mother, younger brother, and I can live without despair. Please help my father return to our family as soon as possible."

Previously, Lee, who worked on a fisheries guidance vessel under the West Sea Fisheries Management Service of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, went missing on the 21st in the sea 2.2 km south of Soyeonpyeong Island, Ongjin County, Incheon.

The Coast Guard, on the 29th of last month, tentatively concluded that Lee defected to the North based on the fact that when he was found in North Korean waters, he was exhausted, wearing a life jacket, and clinging to floating debris; that the North had detailed personal information such as his name and age; and that there were indications he expressed an intention to defect to the North.

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