Ministry of National Defense "Considering Meeting with Families of North Korea-Shot Civil Servant and Providing Intelligence Data"

A, a Marine Fisheries Officer (Grade 8) belonging to the West Sea Fisheries Monitoring and Management Unit under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, who was killed by gunfire from North Korean forces, was the subject of a press conference held by his brother, Lee Rae-jin, on the 6th in front of the Ministry of National Defense Civil Affairs Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, ahead of an information disclosure request. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]Defense Minister Seo Wook is considering a meeting with Lee Rae-jin (55), the older brother of civil servant A who was shot dead by North Korean forces in the West Sea.

Moon Hong-sik, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, responded on the 29th during a regular briefing to a question about whether discussions regarding the meeting are underway, saying, "We will inform you once a decision is made."

Earlier, on the 26th during the Ministry of National Defense's comprehensive audit, Minister Seo was asked if he intended to meet the bereaved family, to which he replied, "If necessary, I will do so. I also want to hear their heartbreaking story."

At that time, Minister Seo also stated that they are conducting a legal review on whether to provide intelligence information collected by the military at the time if the UN investigates this incident.

Additionally, when asked whether it would be possible to show the intelligence data to the bereaved family, he answered, "Showing it to the bereaved family and to the investigative agency (referring to the UN investigation) might be somewhat different, but we will review it comprehensively."

In this regard, the Ministry of National Defense is reportedly internally reviewing a plan to partially provide intelligence data not only to the UN but also to the bereaved family. However, as of this day, it is known that there has been no formal request for data submission from the UN.