Son of North Korea Shooting Victim Official: "I Will Be Dad's Son Again in the Next Life"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Nah Han-ah, Reporter Han Seung-gon] A memorial rally was held on the 24th for Lee Mo (47), a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was shot and killed by North Korean soldiers. Lee Mo's older brother, Lee Rae-jin, read a letter written by Lee Mo's son.

In the letter, the son wrote, "I never even dreamed that the last call from Dad asking if I was doing well in my studies would be his final one. It has already been over a month since Dad left us," and "People say that (Dad) has gone to a better place and is resting peacefully, but the Dad I know, if he were seeing this situation now, would neither be able to close his eyes nor leave our side," he said.

Lee said, "Dad! Today my heart hurts so much and I am breaking down. Even though the President's grandfather promised to reveal the truth and restore Dad's honor, the Coast Guard's announcement, which presented absurd reasons as evidence, made me collapse," he said.

He continued, "Every time I see my younger sibling writing a letter and drawing Dad's face, saying Dad will come back, I wonder how I should tell that child later that Dad was murdered."

Lee expressed frustration, saying, "If only I were a stronger adult..." Then he added, "Although I cannot be a great support to my uncle who is quietly fighting, I want to believe in the truth that nothing can overcome the truth."

Finally, he concluded the letter with, "Let's definitely meet again someday. When we meet again, please hug me tightly and say I did well. If there is a next life, I will be your son again then."

Meanwhile, at the rally, a letter from Fred and Cindy Warmbier, the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who was detained in North Korea for 17 months and died after being returned in a coma, was also read.