Ministry of National Defense: "Information Requested by Family of North Korea-Killed Official Cannot Be Disclosed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of National Defense announced that it has informed the family of civil servant A, who was shot dead by North Korean soldiers, that their request for information disclosure cannot be granted.

On the 3rd, the Ministry of National Defense sent a text message to reporters stating, "The government requested by the bereaved family is not subject to the Information Disclosure Act under the 'Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies,'" and explained that "the information is classified as secret under the Military Secrets Protection Act, restricting disclosure."

Earlier that day, the Ministry of National Defense met with the bereaved family, including A's elder brother Lee Rae-jin, at the Ministry's Civil Affairs Office to explain the results related to the information disclosure request.

Lee, the elder brother of civil servant A, filed an information disclosure request on the 6th of last month regarding his younger brother's killing, including the military's intercepted North Korean conversation audio recordings and video files. The requested information covers the military's intercepted audio recordings from 3:30 PM to 10:51 PM on September 22, when civil servant A was shot dead by North Korean soldiers. Additionally, it includes video footage for 40 minutes starting at 10:51 PM on the same day, the time when sparks were observed, presumed to be related to the mutilation of the body.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense announced that Minister Seo Wook will hold a meeting with the bereaved family on the 6th.

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