Controversy Over North Korean-Killed Official's 'Voluntary Defection' Spreads... Family's Backlash Intensifies

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The government’s announcement of the preliminary investigation results attributing the shooting death of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official Lee Mo (47) by North Korean soldiers in the northern waters of Soyeonpyeongdo in the West Sea to a 'voluntary defection to North Korea' has sparked strong opposition from the bereaved family.

Following the government's announcement of voluntary defection, Lee’s family has requested an official investigation at the United Nations level, and applied to the Ministry of National Defense for disclosure of North Korean military eavesdropping audio files and other information, but have yet to receive a response.

In response, the family publicly released a handwritten letter from Lee’s son and personally delivered the original to the Blue House. Lee’s elder brother, Lee Rae-jin, handed over the son’s letter along with a letter written by Lee’s father-in-law to Go Yong-ho, an administrative officer at the Blue House’s Office of Civil Society Affairs, on the afternoon of the 8th.

In the letter, Lee’s son wrote, "I want to ask if you truly think it makes sense that my father, who never professionally learned to swim and has a slender build, swam 38 km against the current," and added, "(My father) was so proud of his job that he even came to my school to introduce his profession," refuting the claim of defection to North Korea.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Office on the 6th urged, "Regarding the death of the Republic of Korea Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, both the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea must immediately launch a fair and substantive investigation in accordance with international human rights law and disclose the investigation results," and "The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea should cooperate with the Republic of Korea to return the deceased’s remains and belongings to the bereaved family."

Regarding this, Lee’s elder brother Lee Rae-jin said, "Because inter-Korean relations are in a special situation and fluctuate between tension and thaw, active intervention by the neutral United Nations is necessary." He also responded to former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s proposal for solidarity with the family of Otto Warmbier, who died after being tortured in North Korea, saying, "We are currently reviewing contact methods and procedures."

Former Secretary-General Ban is also reported to have explained specific methods for collaboration. Otto Warmbier, who visited North Korea in 2015, was detained for about 17 months and was repatriated to the United States in a vegetative state, eventually passing away. In December 2018, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in a damages lawsuit filed by Warmbier’s family against North Korea, stating, "North Korea is responsible for the torture, detention, extrajudicial killing of Warmbier, and the harm caused to his parents," and ordered North Korea to pay $501.13 million (approximately 583.5 billion KRW) in damages.

Lee plans to hold a press conference involving domestic and foreign media after the 14th of this month. He said, "The content will be decided through legal review."

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