On the 21st, a 25-minute session in the morning... Lee Rae-jin "Protest or statement request on North Korea-related human rights issues"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the morning of the 21st, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a private meeting with Lee Rae-jin, the elder brother of the South Korean government official who was killed by North Korean soldiers, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. This is the first time since the incident in the West Sea last month that a minister from the related departments has met with the bereaved family.
During the 25-minute meeting with Minister Kang, Mr. Lee inquired about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' position on the incident and suggested cooperation measures for the Ministry's efforts to ascertain the truth, including plans for response at the United Nations General Assembly. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the authorities' response after the incident and the hasty announcement that his brother had defected to the North.
After the meeting with Minister Kang, Mr. Lee told reporters, "Although it was a brief meeting, I requested that they issue a protest or statement regarding human rights issues related to North Korea," adding, "Minister Kang said she would cooperate as much as possible." He also said, "I asked for cooperation with the Chinese government regarding the content related to the UN General Assembly report on the 23rd and the possibility of my brother's body being sent to China."
This meeting was arranged after Minister Kang expressed her willingness to meet the bereaved family of the killed official during the National Assembly audit on the 7th. During the audit, Minister Kang stated, "As a government and as an individual, I fully empathize with the pain of the victim's family," and said she would meet with the family.
Earlier, on the 6th, Mr. Lee requested the Seoul UN Human Rights Office to investigate the circumstances of his brother's death. In this regard, Thomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, is scheduled to submit a report at the UN General Assembly on the 23rd demanding punishment of North Korean personnel involved in the West Sea shooting incident and compensation for the bereaved family.
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