North Korea Blames South Korea for West Sea Shooting Incident... "Bodies Are Being Searched" Situation Management (Comprehensive)

"An Incident Caused by the South's Failure to Control Residents"
"Searching for the Body but Not Found Yet... Regret Expressed"

On the 3rd, the military and the Coast Guard conducted an extensive search from the west of Yeonpyeong Island to the south of Socheong Island in the northern West Sea to find the body of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who disappeared at sea near Soyeonpyeong Island and was shot dead by North Korea.

Regarding the incident in which a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official was killed by gunfire from North Korean forces in the West Sea, North Korea claimed on the 30th that "the South bears primary responsibility for causing this unfortunate incident." However, it also emphasized that it is making efforts to recover the body and expressed that it does not wish for this incident to lead to a collapse in inter-Korean relations. By effectively rejecting the South's proposal for a joint investigation, North Korea appears to be managing the situation to prevent the issue from escalating to the United Nations (UN) and the international community.

On the same day, North Korea stated through a report by the Korean Central News Agency that the shooting death incident occurred "during a time of heightened tension and danger due to a malignant virus sweeping across South Korea, in a sensitive hotspot area where they failed to properly manage and control their own residents."

The agency reported, "We have made our best efforts to find the deceased's body in the waters of the West Sea and return it to their family, but have yet to see results," adding, "We regret this and have decided to continue taking necessary measures." Furthermore, it described the incident as "an unexpected misfortune that no one desires," and stressed, "To prevent further deterioration of trust and respect between the North and South, our supreme leadership conveyed their intentions by immediately notifying the investigation results of the incident and expressed regret over the unfortunate event occurring in our waters."

Regarding the controversy over the alleged burning of the body, North Korea denied it, stating, "The so-called 'desecration of the body,' which the conservative faction is making a fuss about, has already been revealed as false by the South Korean military." It added, "Our position is that we hope such an accidental incident will not be repeated as a precedent that drove inter-Korean relations to collapse."

At the same time, North Korea raised its voice of criticism targeting conservative forces within South Korea. Mentioning opposition parties including the People Power Party, it said, "South Korea's conservative forces continue to go wild, covered in blood, slandering their own people with words like 'atrocities' and 'human rights violations.'" It further stated, "The excessive slander from the South and the dangerous moves to turn this incident into an international anti-Republic of Korea conspiracy are shaking the limits of the tolerance and goodwill we have maintained so far," and raised its voice, saying, "The reckless behavior of the conservative faction aims to bring about an unprecedented anti-Republic confrontation and a massive purge of 'pro-communist elements' in South Korean society."

Lee Rae-jin, the brother of government official A from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries who was shot and killed by North Korean forces in the northern waters near Soyeonpyeongdo in the West Sea, is delivering a memorial speech at a vigil held on the night of the 24th near Gyeongbokgung Station in Seoul.

Analysts have interpreted North Korea's message as a response aimed at preventing the shooting incident from escalating beyond inter-Korean issues into an international problem. Professor Jeong Dae-jin of Ajou University analyzed, "It is a preemptive response to the prolonged West Sea incident and signs of it becoming an issue of human rights on the international stage such as the UN."

Professor Im Eul-chul of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Gyeongnam National University said, "While emphasizing a warning to the conservative opposition parties, North Korea is reaffirming that it bears no fault and is attempting to justify itself, showing an intention to settle various controversies surrounding this incident," and interpreted it as "a reiteration of the desire to avoid catastrophe and restore inter-Korean relations."

The South Korean government stated regarding North Korea's message, "We hope North Korea will promptly make efforts to ascertain the facts and resolve the issue," and "We urge the priority reconnection of the military communication line for inter-Korean communication."

On the same day, Ministry of National Defense Deputy Spokesperson Moon Hong-sik expressed this position to reporters concerning North Korea's report that "the responsibility for the killing lies with the South." Ministry of Unification Deputy Spokesperson Jo Hye-sil also gave the same response to questions from the press during a regular briefing about the Ministry's evaluation and stance on North Korea's claims. The military communication lines in the East and West Sea areas between the South and North Korean military authorities have been cut off by the North since June 9, citing the South's civic groups' leaflet campaigns as the issue.

On the 19th, the Mugunghwa 15 high-speed patrol boat conducted a search operation near Soyeonpyeongdo, Yeonpyeong-myeon, Ongjin-gun, Incheon, for the government official who was killed by North Korean gunfire last month.

Meanwhile, international human rights organizations have pointed out that North Korea's directive to shoot intruders on sight as part of COVID-19 quarantine measures constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law.

John Sifton, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), recently wrote on the organization's website that issuing an order to shoot on sight outside of armed conflict situations where wartime laws apply is a serious violation of international human rights law, according to reports by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 30th.

In particular, Director Sifton mentioned that "not only the act of shooting a person but also the order itself is clearly illegal," citing the case where Erich Honecker, former General Secretary of the East German Communist Party, was prosecuted for murder for ordering shootings of people attempting to escape from East Germany to West Germany. He urged, "If North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un does not want to bear criminal responsibility for the same crime as this East German ruler, this order must be immediately withdrawn."

Since August, North Korea has reportedly established buffer zones 1 to 2 kilometers inside the border area for COVID-19 quarantine and ordered that any people or animals approaching these zones be shot without exception.

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