[2020 National Audit] Ruling and Opposition Clash Over Subpoena of 'North Korea Shooting Public Official's Brother' as Witness... Opposition Criticizes as "Shielded Audit"

Conflict Erupts at Start of Foreign Affairs Committee Audit Over Adoption of Witness, Older Brother of Killed Official
Opposition: "What Are You Afraid of in Witness Adoption... Bulletproof Audit Goes Too Far"

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha is attending the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' audit held by the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 7th, taking the oath as a witness. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] On the 7th, when the first National Assembly inspection of the 21st National Assembly began, a sharp confrontation between ruling and opposition party lawmakers continued in the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee over the adoption of witnesses from the bereaved family of the public official killed in North Korean waters. The People Power Party strongly criticized the ruling party opposing the adoption of witnesses, saying, "The bulletproof inspection has gone too far." The Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's inspection was delayed by about 30 minutes from the start due to conflicts over whether to adopt witnesses between the ruling and opposition parties.

Kim Seok-ki, the opposition party's secretary of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and a member of the People Power Party, said in a procedural speech immediately after the opening of the inspection, "The bereaved family has written letters to the president, and the deceased's elder brother has asked for UN cooperation. They are making efforts to restore the honor of the deceased. And he himself has said he will take the witness oath at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee inspection. But he is being ignored," urging, "The deceased's brother wants to testify, so please accept it."

Jeong Jin-seok, a member of the same party, said, "I think the National Assembly should listen to the voices of the bereaved family who are soaked in grief and pain," emphasizing, "The Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee is a related standing committee in the sense that it should raise awareness in the international community, including the UN, about the tragic sacrifice and find ways for the international community to cooperate with North Korea in the fact-finding investigation."

Jeong also raised his voice, saying, "It is appropriate for our committee to adopt (the witness) so that the deceased public official's elder brother can appear at the inspection today and directly convey the voice of the bereaved family that the public wants to hear."

On the other hand, the ruling party opposed it, saying that unnecessary political strife could be triggered. Kim Young-ho, the ruling party's secretary and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, drew a line, saying, "An investigation into whether the victim defected to the North is underway, but if Mr. Lee unilaterally claims 'he did not defect,' it could cause greater confusion among the public."

Kim also opposed, saying, "It is ineffective to call Mr. Lee as a witness in the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, which is a standing committee that cannot handle intelligence."

The ID card of government official Lee Mo, who went missing near Soyeonpyeongdo in the northern West Sea and was shot dead by North Korea. Photo by Yonhap News

Yoon Geon-young, a member of the same party, also opposed, saying, "Among other bereaved families, some do not want this matter to be further publicized in the media or their family names to be disclosed," and "If it is for fact-finding, it is appropriate to testify in the National Defense Committee, which is a standing committee that can access the materials."

Kim Young-joo also argued, "If the elder brother appears, what he can say is 'My younger brother did not defect,' but he cannot provide evidence that he did not defect," and "This issue should be explained by the Coast Guard and handled by the Intelligence Committee or the National Defense Committee."

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has been continuing additional investigations since announcing the interim investigation results on Mr. Lee on the 29th of last month. It is known that the Coast Guard is currently focusing the investigation on the defection process, including △tracking additional financial transactions of Mr. Lee and △investigating portal sites and SNS accounts.

Earlier, the Coast Guard concluded in the interim investigation that Mr. Lee "defected voluntarily." They cited the fact that the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Mr. Lee "expressed his intention to defect" when he was found by the North Korean side.

The Coast Guard explained that when Mr. Lee was found in North Korean waters, he was exhausted, relying on floating objects, wearing a life jacket, and that the North Korean side had detailed information about Mr. Lee's name, age, and hometown, which were also circumstantial evidence of "voluntary defection."

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