MoF "North Korean Shot Dead Official Presumed Missing Between Early Dawn and Lunchtime on 21st During Duty Shift"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries estimated that the public official belonging to the West Sea Fisheries Guidance and Management Unit, who drifted near Soyeonpyeongdo in the northern West Sea and was shot dead by North Korean soldiers, went missing between early morning and lunchtime on the 21st.

On the 24th, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries stated in an online briefing, "The guidance vessel on which the missing person was aboard is Mugunghwa 10, with 16 people on board," and added, "Official A joined the West Sea Fisheries Management Unit in 2012 and has worked there continuously."

The guidance vessel is responsible for preventing possible illegal crossing or capture of our fishing boats and guiding against illegal fishing in the Yeonpyeong fishing grounds near Incheon.

A Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official introduced, "Official A, a level 8 marine fisheries secretary, joined the West Sea Fisheries Management Unit located in Mokpo, Jeonnam, in 2012 and has been working on the fisheries guidance vessel to prevent illegal crossing, capture, and guide against illegal fishing."

He continued, "On the day of disappearance, the missing person did not appear until lunchtime on the 21st, so another crew member reported the disappearance to the Coast Guard around 12:50 PM," and explained, "The duty shift is from midnight to 4 AM the next day, and from 4 AM, they either sleep or rest."

The Coast Guard, Navy, and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries launched a search after receiving the report, and later the Ministry of National Defense investigated the matter and disclosed that North Korea fired shots at the person found on the northern side.

Since the 14th of this month, A had been working as a first mate on the 499-ton fisheries guidance vessel Mugunghwa 10 with 15 colleagues. He was performing duties near Yeonpyeongdo until just before going missing.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries explained regarding A’s work attitude after transferring to Mugunghwa 10, "We did not ask other employees about how his work was after the transfer," but generally said, "He had been working with colleagues continuously since 2012, so there were no major problems in his work."

They added that A was not known to have ever expressed any intention to defect to North Korea to his colleagues.