Will the 15-Year Seal Be Lifted... How to Access the 'Presidential Records' of the North Korean-Killed Public Official

Ruling and opposition parties clash over presidential records release on 'West Sea official shooting'
Related materials sealed for 15 years after Moon Jae-in administration ends
Access requires consent of two-thirds of members... Democratic Party cooperation needed
Previously, Park Geun-hye administration's 'Sewol ferry disaster' presidential records also sealed

In September 2020, the family and legal representatives of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official killed by North Korean forces held a press conference on the 17th at the Seoul Bar Association building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, regarding the so-called 'West Sea Official Killing Incident' announced the previous day by the Presidential Office and the Coast Guard. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As the ruling and opposition parties engage in sharp disputes over the recently overturned investigation results of the West Sea government official shooting incident, interest is rising regarding access to presidential records. To view presidential records sealed after the end of a president's term, the consent of the Democratic Party, which holds the majority of seats, is required.

The dispute between the ruling and opposition parties began after the investigation results of the 'West Sea government official shooting incident' were overturned. On the 16th, the Korea Coast Guard and the Ministry of National Defense officially apologized for previously announcing that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, who went missing in September 2020 off the northern part of Soyeonpyeong Island in the West Sea and was shot by North Korean soldiers, had voluntarily defected to North Korea. This reversed the interim investigation results announced two years ago.

The People Power Party defined this incident as a 'defection fabrication' by the Moon Jae-in administration and pressured the opposition to cooperate in disclosing presidential records. On the 18th, Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader, urged on his Facebook, "The defection fabrication incident is a tragedy where South Korea abandoned its own dignity," adding, "If the Democratic Party is confident, there is no reason to refuse cooperation in accessing the materials."

However, the Democratic Party refused disclosure, accusing the People Power Party of politicizing the 'West Sea government official shooting incident.' On the morning of the 19th, Woo Sang-ho, the Democratic Party emergency committee chairman, responded to the ruling party's pressure to disclose presidential records by saying, "I cannot help but laugh," and criticized it as a new-colorism approach aimed at creating an image of being pro-North Korea and submissive to North Korea rather than focusing on people’s livelihood.

Presidential records are various documents left during a president’s term, with access restricted according to classification levels. In the case of the West Sea government official shooting incident, the records are classified as designated records and have been sealed for 15 years after the end of the Moon Jae-in administration. To access these, approval from two-thirds of the total members of the National Assembly is required, making cooperation from the major opposition party, the Democratic Party, necessary.

Presidential records can also be accessed with a warrant issued by the presiding judge of the relevant high court. Past cases of accessing presidential records through warrants include the 2008 controversy over the leak of former President Roh Moo-hyun’s state records, the 2013 allegations regarding the destruction of the inter-Korean summit meeting minutes, and the 2017 suspicions about the timing of Blue House reports during the Sewol ferry disaster.

Controversies over designated presidential records are not new. During the Sewol ferry disaster, there were continuous calls to verify documents produced by the Blue House to clarify the truth and resolve questions about the so-called 'Sewol 7 hours.' In 2020, 100,000 people participated in a National Assembly petition demanding the disclosure of presidential records related to the Sewol ferry disaster. However, the seal on Blue House documents related to the Sewol ferry disaster remains intact.

Meanwhile, on the 17th, the Board of Audit and Inspection began an audit of the Korea Coast Guard and the Ministry of National Defense, which overturned the investigation results. However, there is analysis that the audit may have limitations as the Board of Audit and Inspection does not have the authority to access presidential records.

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