In front of the Blue House
As you reported, on the evening of the 22nd, an unidentified individual illegally intruded deep into our territorial waters in the coastal waters of Geumdong-ri, Gangryeong-gun, Hwanghae Namdo, and was shot (presumed) by our soldiers.
According to the investigation of the incident, our military unit responsible for guarding the relevant waters received a report from our Fisheries Business Office’s auxiliary fishing vessel engaged in fishing operations that an unidentified man had been spotted. They dispatched forces and approached the intruder who had illegally entered on a floating object near the coast in front of the Gangryeong Peninsula, coming within 80 meters to demand identification. At first, the individual vaguely responded once or twice by saying he was “Amugae” of the Republic of Korea but then ceased to answer further.
Our soldiers continued to order him to comply, but as he remained silent and unresponsive, they approached closer and fired two warning shots. Startled, the unidentified person crouched down, creating a situation where it seemed he might attempt to flee. According to some soldiers’ testimonies, they saw him seemingly trying to cover himself with something while crouching.
Under the commander’s decision and following the rules of engagement approved by maritime surveillance duty regulations, our soldiers fired about ten rounds at the illegal intruder from a distance of 40 to 50 meters.
After the shooting, there was no movement or sound. Our soldiers approached within about 10 meters to conduct a search and confirmed that the unidentified intruder was no longer on the floating object. A large amount of blood was found. Our soldiers judged that the illegal intruder had been killed, and the floating object he had been on was incinerated at sea in accordance with national emergency quarantine regulations.
The investigation results reported to our leadership so far are as stated above.
We cannot help but express great regret over your military’s use of disrespectful and confrontational expressions such as “atrocity” and “due punishment” based on unilateral speculation without any evidence or request for explanation regarding our handling of the illegal intruder and the enforcement process.
Our leadership has expressed that this was an unfortunate incident that should not have occurred and has instructed to strengthen maritime surveillance and duty to prevent recurrence. Furthermore, to avoid any minor mistakes or misunderstandings during enforcement, they have ordered the establishment of a system to record the entire enforcement process at sea.
We convey our apologies for the unpleasant incident that occurred in our waters, which clearly acts as an unwelcome factor in inter-Korean relations. Our leadership has repeatedly emphasized the need to remain vigilant and alert so that the trust and respect recently built between the North and South are not destroyed due to this regrettable incident, and to devise necessary safety measures.
Comrade Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, expressed deep regret and instructed to convey his sincere apologies to President Moon Jae-in and the South Korean people for causing great disappointment by the unexpected unfortunate incident in our waters, especially at a time when they are already suffering from the threat of a malignant virus.
We hope for your accurate understanding of the incident that occurred.
United Front Department of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea
September 25, 2020
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