SEOUL, Oct 22 — Authorities in South Korea arrested an ex-defence minister and a former coast guard chief Saturday on suspicion of covering up events surrounding the 2020 murder of a fisheries official by Pyongyang.
President Yoon Suk-yeol is expanding an inquiry into the highly politicised case following accusations that his predecessor mishandled the probe to curry favour with North Korea.
Ex-minister Suh Wook and former coast guard chief Kim Hong-hee face charges including abuse of power, forging official documents and dereliction of duty, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
An inquiry by Seoul’s Board of Audit and Inspection last week found Suh followed orders from former president Moon Jae-in’s office to remove around 60 military intelligence reports related to the case, among other alleged offences.
But the country’s opposition claims the investigation is “political revenge” against Moon’s administration. On Saturday they called the arrests a “manipulation of the truth”.
Fisheries official Lee Dae-jun was shot dead and set on fire by North Korean soldiers near the rivals’ sensitive sea border.
The report last week said South Korean officials took no meaningful steps to rescue Lee when he was drifting in waters near the boundary.
It recommended prosecutors probe a total of 20 people including Suh and Kim.
President Yoon has been sharply critical of his predecessor’s dovish approach towards North Korea, accusing Moon of appeasing Pyongyang.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered a rare apology over the killing at the time.
Critics say Yoon has prioritised “revenge politics” over dealing with more pressing policy issues such as spiralling inflation.
Moon’s government at the time said an initial probe by the coast guard suggested the fisheries official had tried to defect to the North, citing family problems and debts from gambling.
But Lee’s brother has repeatedly slammed that idea, saying Lee would never have defected.
Yoon has also reopened inquiries into another explosive murder case in which two North Korean fishermen who confessed to killing 16 crewmates at sea were deported back to Pyongyang in 2019.
Rights groups have said the transfer of the suspects back to the North was a violation of international law because of the likelihood of the men being tortured or worse. — AFP
