[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Three Diverging Claims Between North and South Korea

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Controversy is growing over the conflicting content between the South Korean government and North Korea after the traditional letter sent by the North’s United Front Department was disclosed on the morning of the 25th. There are three main differences between the traditional letter sent by North Korea and the facts revealed by our government: mutilation of the body, defection to the North, and the Navy Command’s decision.

According to the traditional letter, North Korea stated that it did not burn the body of the South Korean citizen who was shot dead in the northern waters of the West Sea. North Korea said in the letter, "After firing, we approached within about 10 meters to confirm and search, but the unidentified intruder was not on the floating object," and "The floating object the intruder was on was incinerated on site at sea according to national emergency quarantine regulations." This differs from the military authorities’ explanation that the North Korean military shot dead public official A (47), who went missing while on a fisheries guidance ship near Soyeonpyeongdo, poured oil on the body, and burned it. Defense Minister Seo Wook also said at the National Assembly Defense Committee plenary session the day before that the light from burning A’s body was "visible for 40 minutes" based on such analysis results.

The second issue is whether A expressed an intention to defect to the North. North Korea introduced, "We approached within 80 meters of the person who illegally intruded on our coast on a floating object and requested identification, but at first, he vaguely said ‘someone from the Republic of Korea’ once or twice and then did not respond further." However, the North made no mention of whether A expressed an intention to defect.

On the other hand, our military authorities hold the view that A likely attempted to defect voluntarily. The reasons cited include that A △ was wearing a life jacket △ left slippers behind when leaving the ship △ used a small floating object △ and when found in northern waters, there was evidence that he expressed an intention to defect to the North.

There is also disagreement over whether there was an order to shoot. The Ministry of National Defense has said, "It appears that the North Korean patrol boat fired at the missing person under orders from higher-ups." Furthermore, regarding whether there was an order from above, the South Korean side says there is evidence of an order from the Navy Command system just before the shooting.

However, North Korea explained, "When the unidentified target continued to disobey the patrol order and we fired two warning shots, a situation arose where the target seemed to be fleeing," and "We fired about 10 rounds at the illegal intruder from a distance of 40 to 50 meters." The North added, "Under the commander’s decision and according to the rules of conduct approved by the maritime boundary duty regulations."

There is an analysis that North Korea’s expression here may reflect dissatisfaction with the Ministry of National Defense’s announcement that the body was burned after being shot. In response, Seo Hoon, Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, said, "Regarding the parts that differ from the comprehensive judgment based on our military intelligence, continuous investigation and understanding will be necessary going forward."