[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] The Full Story of the Missing Person Incident Revealed by the Ministry of National Defense

The fishing guidance vessel Mugunghwa 10, on which the missing Yeonpyeong Island public official was aboard. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Military authorities announced on the 24th that the South Korean official who went missing on Soyeonpyeongdo was shot by a North Korean military patrol boat in North Korean waters, and that the body was also burned at sea.

A military official stated that on the same day, "We obtained information that on the afternoon of the 22nd (the day after the disappearance) at around 3:40 PM, a North Korean fisheries enterprise vessel first discovered the exhausted missing person wearing a life jacket and boarding a floating object that could hold about one person near Deungsanggot waters." It was explained that the person on the North Korean vessel was wearing a gas mask and maintained a certain distance from the missing person while apparently hearing a statement about defecting to the North.

The military official continued, "On the same day, it appears that the North Korean military patrol boat fired shots at the missing person under orders from above, and later, soldiers wearing gas masks and fireproof suits approached the body and burned it." Considering that Mr. A went missing on the 21st about 1.2 miles (2 km) south of Soyeonpyeongdo, it is predicted that Mr. A attempted to defect to the North, drifted in North Korean waters, was detained by the North, and was shot. The time when the North Korean military fired at Mr. A is estimated to be around 9:40 PM on the 22nd. Subsequently, our military confirmed lights in the forward area at around 10:11 PM on the 22nd, suggesting that the body was cremated at that time.

In this regard, military authorities notified the North through the United Nations Command at around 4:45 PM on the 23rd via a traditional message about the disappearance and requested a response, but no reply has been received as of now. However, the military disclosed this information to the media for the first time on the afternoon of the 23rd, two days after the disappearance, and regarding the life status, stated, "The survival status of the missing person cannot be determined at this time." Later that day, only after media reports revealed that the missing person was shot and cremated was the fact officially confirmed, which is expected to cause controversy over the timing of death recognition.

There are also criticisms that North Korea violated the military agreement. However, a military official said on the same day, "Fire extinguishers are not included in the military agreement, and it only applies to artillery," adding, "In particular, shooting at a person is not covered by the military agreement."

The military agreement established buffer zones on land, sea, and air to prohibit hostile acts. North Korea conducted coastal artillery firing drills in November last year near the area where the agreement was violated. Even if the intention was to prevent infectious diseases, North Korea firing at an unarmed civilian clearly constitutes a hostile act.

The inter-Korean military agreement, symbolizing the Moon Jae-in administration's North Korea policy, is the "Military Agreement for the Implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration (9·19 Military Agreement)" signed on September 19, 2018, by then Defense Minister Song Young-moo and North Korean Minister of People's Armed Forces No Kwang-chol. It includes measures in five areas to prevent accidental armed clashes between South and North Korean forces. So far, South and North Korea have implemented ▶ suspension of military exercises near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) ▶ establishment of no-fly zones near the MDL ▶ partial withdrawal of guard posts (GPs) within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) ▶ demilitarization of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjom.