Chair of National Defense Committee in National Assembly: "Suspected to be a decision by North Korean military leadership... North Korean forces also missed 2 hours"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Min Hong-cheol, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, stated regarding the North Korean shooting incident, "I speculate it was a decision made by the upper command of the (North Korean) military." He also relayed a report from our military that the North Korean forces lost track of the deceased public official Mr. Lee for about two hours while dragging him at sea.

Min appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that day and said about the North Korean shooting order, "The military reported that it was likely from the naval command chain, but there was no report specifying which commander."

He continued, "In fact, this is such a barbaric act, shooting a civilian who is truly heinous. To carry out such an act, it must have been a decision or resolution from the upper command of the (North Korean) military. That is my speculation as well." When asked, "Are you saying it cannot be ruled out that it went higher up the chain of command?" he replied, "It cannot be ruled out."

He also mentioned the six hours it took from when Mr. Lee was found on the North Korean vessel until he was shot. Min said, "There seemed to be confusion during the process of communication with the navy or receiving orders from higher-ups. Also, verifying identity and such took that much time." He added, "About three hours were spent on that, and according to the military report, the (North Korean military) lost the missing person at sea. They searched for about two more hours."

This means the North side initially found Mr. Lee and was taking him at sea but lost him. Min said, "According to the military report, judging by the behavior of the North Korean military, they wore gas masks and protective suits, did not approach closely, and were dragging floating objects but lost them. That is the assessment." He added, "They might have thrown a rope to pull him along but lost him, so it was a kind of losing him again."

He also conveyed that Mr. Lee showed an intention to defect to the North. Min said, "It was confirmed that he was wearing a life jacket, and when he left the fisheries guidance vessel, he left his shoes behind." He added, "After compiling various intelligence, it was confirmed that he showed an intention to defect to the other side."