Kim Woong "May Have Urgently Expressed Intent to Defect to North Korea to Survive at Gunpoint"
Ha Tae-kyung "Story from Life-or-Death Situation... It's Petty to Conclude as Fact"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Amid the announcement of the Korea Coast Guard's interim investigation results concluding that Lee Mo (47), a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who went missing near Yeonpyeongdo, Incheon, and was shot and killed by North Korean soldiers, voluntarily defected to the North, opposition party lawmakers have come forward to refute this, stating it is merely a hypothesis.
On the 29th, Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, raised doubts about the Coast Guard's interim investigation results in a post on his Facebook, saying, "He may have urgently expressed his intention to defect to the North to survive in front of the muzzle."
He added, "Is the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official Aquaman? Trying to swim 20 km in a straight line across the autumn night sea with bare hands?" and questioned, "Moreover, is it common sense that he left behind his (official) ID card indicating his defection?"
Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the same party belonging to the National Assembly's Defense Committee and Intelligence Committee, also refuted at a press conference that Lee's voluntary defection is just a 'speculation.'
Ha said, "It is a conclusion based on a hypothesis without decisive evidence," and pointed out, "The Ministry of National Defense acknowledged that one of the four pieces of evidence presented as proof of defection?the shoes?are not evidence of defection, and the life jacket could have been worn routinely."
He continued, "Among the four, the only certain one is the story exchanged by the North Korean military," adding, "In a life-or-death situation, to take the victim's story of defection at face value as fact is very petty."
Meanwhile, on the same day, the Coast Guard announced interim investigation results concluding that Lee voluntarily defected, based on a comprehensive review of the fishing guidance vessel Lee was on, analysis of onboard closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, investigation of people around the missing person, and fact-checking through visits to the Ministry of National Defense.
The Coast Guard explained that they confirmed Lee's voluntary defection by considering ▲ the North's detailed knowledge of Lee's personal information such as name, age, and hometown when they found him ▲ circumstances indicating Lee expressed his intention to defect ▲ and the significant distance discrepancy between the predicted drifting points by four domestic agencies and the actual location where Lee was found.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard plans to continue the investigation by gathering additional information such as ongoing CCTV analysis, internet portal records, further investigation of people around the missing person, and, if necessary, additional cooperation from the Ministry of National Defense based on the facts confirmed so far.
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