Kim Eo-jun Calls North Korean Body Mutilation 'Cremation'... Jin Joong-kwon Says "How Long Must We Endure This Nonsense?"

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized broadcaster Kim Eo-jun on the 25th for describing the incident in which North Korean soldiers shot and killed a South Korean government official and mutilated the body as "hwajang (火葬, cremation)," saying, "How long do we have to tolerate this nonsense?"

In a post on his Facebook that day, former professor Jin pointed out, "'Hwajang' is a method of funeral, and after cremation, the ashes are handed over to the bereaved family. What North Korea did was not a funeral but closer to virus disposal."

He continued, "They treated a living human being as an infectious source that needed to be disposed of," and called it "an inhumane crime that cannot happen in a civilized society."

Jin also took a jab at Kim Eo-jun, saying, "It's fine to chase ratings, but the media has social responsibilities. How many times has this happened already?"

Earlier, on the 25th, Kim Eo-jun claimed on his TBS Radio program "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" that the North Korean soldiers' shooting of Lee Mo (47), a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, was "a kind of quarantine measure in itself."

He said, "North Korea's actions are extremely inhumane, anti-civilized, and barbaric," but added, "Under normal circumstances, this person would probably have been treated as a defector to the North, but given the current situation, he was treated like a virus because of COVID-19. That's why they carried out a maritime shooting, which I've never heard of before, and 'cremated' him."