Says "It's not true that the communication line was cut"... Directly targets responsibility debate

Interim Report of the Task Force Investigating the Shooting Incident of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Officials by the People Power Party

Lee Rae-jin, a bereaved family member of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official shooting incident, is having a meeting with Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Official Shooting Incident Fact-Finding TF at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] The People Power Party has raised issues regarding former President Moon Jae-in's remarks in relation to the shooting incident involving a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official. They argued that Moon's statement, "It was difficult to respond because the communication line between the South and North was cut off," was not true. Since the ruling party is targeting former President Moon directly, it is expected that conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties will intensify.

On the morning of the 24th, the People Power Party's Task Force (TF) investigating the shooting incident of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official held a mid-term briefing at the National Assembly and stated, "The available channels to North Korea confirmed by the Ministry of National Defense include the Panmunjom channel managed by the United Nations (UN) Command, and in fact, after Lee Dae-jun passed away on September 23, a notification was sent to North Korea using this channel." They added, "The then-President Moon's statement that it was difficult to respond because the communication line between the South and North was cut off is not true, and this was confirmed by the Ministry of National Defense."

The TF clearly placed responsibility for this incident on former President Moon. TF Chairman Ha Tae-kyung explained, "The Ministry of National Defense confirmed that after 3:30 p.m. on September 22, 2020, when Lee's survival was confirmed, there were no rescue instructions from the President until Lee's death." He continued, "As is known, there was a written report to the President at 6:30 p.m. that day, but the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that there were no instructions from the President until Lee's death."

The bereaved families plan to focus on revealing former President Moon's whereabouts at the time of the incident. Lee Rae-jin, Lee's elder brother, said at a morning briefing, "We filed an information disclosure request to clarify the President's schedule, and although the President himself promised not to fight with the people, the designated presidential records were completely denied disclosure the day before." He emphasized, "Although we are powerless and insufficient citizens, we will take a step forward for the safety of the Republic of Korea and its people."

Kim Ki-yoon, the legal representative for the bereaved family, also stated, "Now we are moving in two directions," adding, "The first focus is on what former President Moon did during the six hours from when he was informed of the incident until Lee's death, and what the government of the Republic of Korea and former President Moon did during that time."

People Power Party floor leader Kwon Seong-dong requested the Democratic Party to negotiate the disclosure of records. Leader Kwon said, "Designated presidential records can be accessed with the approval of two-thirds of the National Assembly or a warrant from the competent High Court," and added, "I hope Woo Sang-ho, the Democratic Party's emergency committee chairman, will promptly initiate the inter-party consultation process for the disclosure of records."