Kim Jong-in "Will File Complaint to International Criminal Court" vs Kang Kyung-wha "Referral to ICC Will Be Difficult"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the 1st meeting of the 'Fact-Finding Task Force on North Korea's Atrocities of Shooting and Burning Our Citizens' held at the National Assembly on the 26th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party (79), claimed that he would refer North Korea's shooting of our public official to the International Criminal Court (ICC), while Kang Kyung-hwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs (65), stated that "referral is difficult."

On the 26th, at the 'Fact-Finding Task Force on North Korea's Atrocities of Shooting and Burning Our Citizens' held at the National Assembly, Chairman Kim said, "According to the Geneva Conventions and UN resolutions, even in wartime, the shooting and summary execution of unarmed civilians are prohibited," asserting that the truth of this incident will be revealed and North Korea will be punished under international law.

He also said, "If the government suddenly tries to cover up this incident with North Korea's traditional letter and insincere apology, it will be a self-destructive act that digs the grave of the administration," urging the government to immediately refer the matter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Earlier, on the 24th, Tae Yong-ho, a member of the same party (58), also argued, "Our government should promptly refer this matter (North Korea's shooting of the public official) and the previous North-South Joint Liaison Office bombing incident to the UN Security Council," adding, "Depending on the investigation results, those responsible should be prosecuted at the ICC."

Meanwhile, Minister Kang attended the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee plenary meeting at the National Assembly on the 25th and stated that it is difficult to refer the incident to the ICC.

Minister Kang said, "The ICC has jurisdiction over certain specific international crimes, and if a country is not a party, jurisdiction arises only if the UN Security Council refers the case," adding, "There are several conditions, such as the crime being systematic and widespread, and it seems difficult to conclude this incident as such."

North Korea is not a party to the ICC. In 2014, the ICC closed a preliminary investigation into the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong incidents ex officio, stating that they were "not within the jurisdiction of war crimes."