Deceased Official's Older Brother: "Where Did the Evidence for 'Wolbuk' Come From?"
Colleague: "Survival Rate Would Be Low, Wolbuk? ... He Wouldn't Be That Reckless"
The fishing guidance vessel Mugunghwa 10, on which the missing Yeonpyeong Island public official was aboard. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Acquaintances of Mr. A, a fisheries guidance officer affiliated with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries who was reportedly killed in North Korean waters, have come forward to oppose the government's report of defection to the North, calling it mere speculation.
Mr. A's older brother expressed frustration in an interview with MBC on the 25th, saying, "It is absurd to claim defection based on debts or family issues."
Mr. A's family argues that since the deceased had only been transferred to the fisheries guidance vessel after working on another ship for two years for just four days, there is a possibility that he either mistook the situation for a rescue or accidentally fell overboard.
On the 24th, Mr. A's older brother also posted on Facebook, "The reports in the media and broadcasts about the shooting death at the West Sea Fisheries Management Unit refer to my younger brother," and lamented, "The government only condemns verbally but has not given me, the bereaved family member, any notification."
He questioned, "Where did the word 'defection' and its basis come from, and why is it specifically pointed out?" He criticized, "There are no facts; they fabricate stories and treat them as gossip."
Colleagues also appear to view the government's suggestion of defection as unlikely.
A colleague from the West Sea Fisheries Management Unit said, "If he was more than 10 km away, the survival rate would be low, and even if he intended to defect, he wouldn't have been so reckless."
Meanwhile, military authorities announced on the 24th that the South Korean official who went missing near Soyeonpyeong Island was shot by a North Korean patrol boat in North Korean waters, and that the body was reportedly burned at sea.
Operation Headquarters Chief Ahn Young-ho of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated in the Ministry of National Defense's press release that day, "After thoroughly analyzing various intelligence, our military confirmed that North Korea committed the atrocity of shooting our citizen (the missing person near Soyeonpyeong Island) in North Korean waters and burning the body." He added, "We strongly condemn North Korea's atrocity," and expressed regret, urging "North Korea to provide an explanation and punish those responsible."
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