Cheong "President Moon's Declaration of End of War Speech Recorded Before North Korean Shooting Incident" Explanation

On the 21st, North Korea Fires Shots at South Korean Civilians at Sea and Mutilates Bodies
On the 23rd, President Moon's "End of War Declaration" Speech at the UN
Cheong: "Recorded on the 15th and Sent to the UN on the 18th"
"Do Not Link This Incident with the President's Speech"

President Moon Jae-in is delivering a keynote speech via video at the 75th United Nations General Assembly held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, on the morning of the 23rd (Korean time).

On the 21st, despite North Korea shooting and killing a South Korean citizen in the West Sea and burning the body, President Moon Jae-in mentioned a "Declaration of the End of War" in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on the 23rd. In response, the Blue House stated on the 24th, "President Moon's speech was recorded on the 15th and sent to the UN on the 18th."

A senior Blue House official told reporters on the same day, "Please do not link this incident with the President's UN speech," and explained accordingly.

Earlier, on the 23rd, President Moon delivered a keynote speech at the 75th UN General Assembly general debate held at the UN headquarters in New York, saying, "A declaration of the end of war will be the door to opening a 'permanent peace regime' along with denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula." The speech, conducted via video, lasted 16 minutes starting at 1:26 a.m. Korean time.

Then, on the morning of the 24th, the Ministry of National Defense made its first official announcement that a public official who went missing on Soyeonpyeong Island, the northernmost island in the West Sea, was shot by the North and then cremated. According to military authorities, A (47), a marine fisheries secretary (grade 8) belonging to the West Sea Fisheries Guidance and Management Unit based in Mokpo under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, went missing on the 21st about 1.2 miles (2 km) south of Soyeonpyeong Island.

The military detected signs the next day, the 22nd, through intelligence that the missing person was found in North Korean waters in the afternoon. In terms of timing, the government was aware of the related facts, but President Moon gave the speech containing the "Declaration of the End of War" the following day.

However, the Blue House explained that at the intelligence level, it was not possible to cancel or modify the UN speech. A senior Blue House official said, "The President's speech was recorded on the 15th and sent to the UN on the 18th," adding, "We could not have predicted such an incident."

He explained, "The President's speech was broadcast for 16 minutes starting at 1:26 a.m. on the 23rd, and from 1 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on the same day, a meeting of related ministers was held to assess the credibility of the intelligence." He added, "Without confirmed credibility, it was impossible to decide to cancel or modify the UN speech."

Meanwhile, Seo Joo-seok, Secretary General of the National Security Council (NSC), said in a briefing immediately after the NSC Standing Committee meeting on the same day, "The killing of our citizen by North Korean soldiers who were unarmed and showed no intention to resist, and the mutilation of the body, cannot be justified for any reason."

Secretary Seo said, "North Korea must take full responsibility for this incident, clearly reveal the truth, and severely punish those responsible."

He urged, "The actions of the North Korean military violate international norms and humanitarian principles," and added, "North Korea must apologize for this inhumane act and take clear measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents."

He continued, "We deeply mourn the incident in which the missing fisheries guidance officer was sacrificed by North Korean soldiers," and said, "The government will strengthen the border posture in the inter-Korean border areas, including the five West Sea islands, and take all necessary measures to ensure the safe activities of our citizens. Furthermore, we declare that we will firmly respond to North Korea's actions that threaten the lives and safety of our people."