People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung is questioning at the confirmation hearing for Defense Minister nominee Seo Wook held at the National Assembly on the 16th. / Source = Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Nana] As the United Nations demands North Korea to clarify responsibility for the 'shot government official' incident and compensate the bereaved families, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out that the South Korean president should have directly demanded this from North Korea, stating, "The UN is restoring the honor of the victims, but the Moon Jae-in administration is leading the character assassination of the victims."
On the 18th, Ha said on his Facebook, "President Moon has not said a word about punishing those responsible and compensating the bereaved families in North Korea," adding, "Instead, he brought up the theory of voluntary defection to assassinate the victims' honor."
He condemned North Korea's atrocities, saying, "It was water torture directed at a person who drifted at sea for more than 30 hours, exhausted, and not only was he shot, but even burned."
Addressing the South Korean government, he said, "The South Korean government, which should take the lead in protecting the victims' rights and restoring their honor, has led the character assassination of the deceased," adding, "They killed the victims twice by talking about voluntary defection based on a single piece of intelligence that cannot even be disclosed."
He then criticized, "There was no country for the government official shot in the West Sea and his bereaved family. They became people without a country," raising his voice, "The government was an entity that killed the deceased twice."
He continued, "The National Assembly will definitely protect our citizens abandoned by the government."
According to a report released on the 15th by the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul, Thomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, is scheduled to report on the human rights situation in North Korea at the UN General Assembly on the 23rd, including clarifying responsibility for the 'North Korean military's killing of a South Korean government official' incident.
Rapporteur Quintana stated, "It appears to be an incident where guards unlawfully and arbitrarily shot a civilian who did not pose an immediate threat to their lives, which violates international human rights law," and demanded, "North Korea must disclose all information about this incident, hold those responsible accountable, and compensate the official's family."
He added, "South Korea should provide all possible information about this incident and urge North Korea to comply with its international obligations."
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