Ministry of Unification Releases 10 Photos of North Korean Defector Fishermen Repatriated in 2019

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The Ministry of Unification explained the situation at the time while releasing 10 photos of the 'Repatriation of North Korean Fishermen' that took place through Panmunjom in November 2019.

The Ministry of Unification stated, “Photos have generally been taken for record-keeping purposes when repatriating North Korean residents at Panmunjom,” and submitted the photos at the request of the National Assembly before distributing them to the press corps. It is unusual for the Ministry of Unification to publicly release photos from the time of repatriation to the media.

The released photos show two North Korean fishermen, blindfolded and tied with restraints, from the moment they arrived at Panmunjom until they were handed over to the North Korean side.

One of them is seen strongly resisting by bending his upper body and covering his face as he reached the Military Demarcation Line, trying not to cross it. During this process, the man fell sideways, and government officials were captured helping him back up.

At the time, the government stated that two North Korean sailors killed 16 colleagues, defected, and expressed their intention to seek asylum, but were expelled back to North Korea through Panmunjom.

Immediately after the incident, the Ministry of Unification justified the repatriation by saying, “The defecting fishermen killed 16 fellow sailors and fled,” but after about two years and eight months, it effectively reversed its position.

Recently, the National Intelligence Service filed charges against former NIS Director Suh Hoon for forcibly ending the joint investigation early in connection with this incident.

The North Korean Human Rights Database Center (NKDB) Human Rights Violation Support Center also filed complaints with the prosecution on the same day against a total of 11 people, including then National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong, Blue House and government officials, and working-level personnel from the NIS, Ministry of Unification, and police related to this incident.

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