[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Coast Guard and Navy are continuing intensive searches to find the body and belongings of Mr. Lee, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was shot and killed by North Korea, but they are facing difficulties. Although a week has passed since Mr. Lee's death, the possibility of North Korea cooperating in a joint investigation appears to be very low.
According to government officials on the 28th, the Coast Guard and Navy have divided the waters near Yeonpyeongdo into eight zones for focused searches. The search area is extensive, ranging from the west of Yeonpyeongdo to the southern waters of Socheongdo. On this day, 38 vessels including 29 Coast Guard and Navy ships and 9 fishery patrol vessels, as well as 5 aircraft, were deployed. The Coast Guard supported 13 vessels including four 500-ton ships, three 300-ton ships, and six small vessels, along with two aircraft. The Navy deployed 16 vessels including two patrol ships, two high-speed ships, seven high-speed boats, and five high-speed rigid inflatable boats (RIB boats), along with three aircraft.
If Mr. Lee's body is found and an autopsy is conducted, the truth dispute over the statements released by both South and North Korea is expected to be somewhat resolved.
The issue lies in whether he was wearing a life jacket. If the body was shot and sank to the seabed, the search becomes difficult. If, as the South Korean government believes, Mr. Lee was wearing a life jacket, his body could be floating on the sea surface, making it easier to find. Whether Mr. Lee was wearing a life jacket remains unknown. At noon on the 27th, the Mugunghwa 10 ship docked at the exclusive pier of the Mokpo West Sea Fisheries Management Unit, and an investigation of the inventory revealed 29 registered life jackets. The number of life jackets on board corresponds to 120% of the ship's capacity (24 people), so 29 is correct. However, it is currently unknown if there were any unregistered life jackets on board. The Coast Guard, which is conducting the investigation, concluded that the life jacket Mr. Lee was wearing was not a supply item. They only speculate that he might have been wearing a civilian life jacket rather than a supply one.
Military and related officials argue that the golden time for the search to find Mr. Lee's body was within 34 hours. They say the body should have been found at sea at least before the 23rd. The Navy and Coast Guard have continued the search for eight days, considering the possibility that Mr. Lee's body or belongings might have drifted south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, but no significant results have been reported yet.
Cooperation from the North is also necessary for the search, as there is a high possibility that the body could be found along the North Korean coastline. However, North Korea warned that South Korea violated its territorial waters during the search operation for the official who died from gunfire by North Korean forces near Soyeonpyeongdo. North Korea stated that it would conduct its own search operation for the missing official within its waters and asserted its territorial infringement claims, effectively drawing a line against a joint investigation.
As of the morning of the same day, North Korea has not restored the military communication line to normal operation. Earlier, President Moon Jae-in requested North Korea to restore and reactivate the military communication line during an emergency security ministers' meeting held the previous day, but there has been no response yet. The military authorities of both Koreas have been conducting regular calls twice daily at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. using the East and West Sea military communication lines, but North Korea has refused all communication since June 9, citing the issue of leaflets being sent to the North.
A government official said, "The Navy and Coast Guard are conducting searches only south of the NLL," adding, "Today as well, we are increasing the number of ships and personnel to continue the search."
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