"Is He Really a Defector to North Korea?"... Deceased Official Continued Buying Crab on Missing Day

Mr. Lee Rae-jin, the brother of Mr. A, a government official who was shot and killed in North Korea, shows a somber expression during a press conference with foreign reporters at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 29th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Choi Eun-young] It has been revealed that Mr. Lee, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was killed by North Korean gunfire, was acting as an intermediary for purchasing blue crabs for acquaintances to earn money even on the day he went missing.

On the 29th, during a mid-investigation briefing where the Coast Guard announced that they had concluded Mr. Lee's case as a defection to North Korea, Channel A exclusively reported that Mr. Lee was still acting as a blue crab purchasing agent to make money on the day he disappeared.

In a report on the 30th, Channel A disclosed that Mr. Lee was helping acquaintances purchase blue crabs to earn money even on the day he went missing.

Three days before his disappearance, on the 18th, Mr. Lee sent a message to his older sister saying, "You need to make the payment by Sunday evening," and "I will send the goods on Monday."

This was a message asking his sister and family to gather people interested in buying blue crabs. He said that once enough buyers were gathered, he would purchase the crabs at a low price and ship them by courier for 8,000 won per kilogram.

On the 21st, Mr. Lee also sent a photo of a monitor showing a list of prospective buyers to his sister. At that time, it was revealed that Mr. Lee was aboard the Mugunghwa 10 ferry.

The bereaved family has denied the possibility of defection to North Korea based on this evidence.

Mr. Lee's older brother said, "I think he was just trying to earn a few tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of won," and added, "How could someone like him defect to North Korea just a few hours later?"

According to Channel A's investigation, the Coast Guard also obtained a document listing prospective buyers during the search of the Mugunghwa 10 ferry. However, this was not announced during the mid-investigation briefing on the 29th. A Coast Guard official stated that they are currently analyzing the secured document.