Prosecutors Recharged After Chuseok Holiday... Imminent Summons of Higher-Ups in West Sea Shooting and Forced Northward Repatriation (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] This week, following the Chuseok holiday, the prosecution is expected to summon and investigate high-ranking officials related to the 'West Sea government official shooting' and 'forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen' cases.

According to the legal community on the 12th, the departments under Park Ki-dong, the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who are handling the two cases, did not conduct investigative work during the Chuseok holiday and took a break. It appears they judged that the investigations had progressed sufficiently as planned before the holiday. In fact, the prosecution reportedly secured meaningful materials by raiding places such as the Presidential Archives in connection with the two cases. A prosecution official stated, "Necessary investigations are being conducted well at the appropriate times."

After the holiday, the prosecution is expected to summon and investigate senior officials who have been accused in connection with the cases. In particular, there is growing speculation that former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Ji-won will be summoned soon. The prosecution also delivered the NIS’s accusation documents to Park’s side to guarantee his right to defense. Typically, the prosecution provides the accused with the accusation documents before the summons to inform them of the charges.

Former Director Park was accused by the NIS of violating the National Intelligence Service Act (abuse of authority) and damaging official electronic records for ordering the unauthorized deletion of intelligence-related data when Lee Dae-jun, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, went missing on September 21, 2020, while conducting fisheries guidance off Soyeonpyeong Island in the northern West Sea.

Regarding the forced repatriation, the prosecution is reportedly planning to summon and investigate former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, former Blue House National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong, and former NIS Director Seo Hoon. Earlier, former Unification Minister Seo Ho was summoned and investigated by the prosecution on the 15th and 21st of last month.

Meanwhile, in the legal and academic circles, there are ongoing claims that the forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen constitutes a clear 'illegal act.'

In a recent issue of the Ministry of Justice’s Unification Legal Affairs academic journal, Professor Je Seong-ho of Chung-Ang University Law School published a paper titled "A Legal Study on the Forced Repatriation of North Korean Criminal Suspects Who Expressed Intent to Defect," emphasizing that in light of the constitutional provisions on territory and citizens, "Residents who voluntarily escape North Korean control are citizens who can and should be protected," and "denying this is denying the constitution and unification."

He further stated, "In the case of the (forcibly repatriated) North Korean fishermen, they did not go through the North Korean visit approval process nor express their intention to return to North Korea as in humanitarian repatriations, so there is no basis for forced repatriation anywhere," adding, "Relevant officials are strongly suspected of dereliction of duty and abuse of authority."

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