[Breaking] Seo Uk, Former Minister of National Defense, and Kim Hong-hee, Former Coast Guard Chief, Arrested in West Sea Shooting Case

Former Minister of National Defense Seo Wook (left) and former Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard Kim Hong-hee, who are suspected of concealing the 'West Sea civil servant shooting' incident, are entering the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong on the 21st to undergo a warrant hearing. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Seo Wook, former Minister of National Defense (59), and Kim Honghee, former Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard (54), who were involved in the 'West Sea Public Official Shooting' incident, were arrested on the 22nd.

Seoul Central District Court Judge Kim Sangwoo, who conducted the detention hearing for former Minister Seo and former Commissioner Kim the previous day, issued arrest warrants for them in the early morning, citing "risk of evidence destruction and flight."

The 'West Sea Public Official Shooting Incident' refers to the case in which Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official the late Lee Daejun was killed by North Korean soldiers in the West Sea in 2020. At that time, the Moon Jae-in administration concluded that Lee voluntarily defected to North Korea, but under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the possibility that Lee did not defect has been raised.

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