[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The bereaved family of the late Lee Dae-jun, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was killed by North Korean soldiers in the West Sea, has additionally reported Blue House and Coast Guard officials from the Moon Jae-in administration to the prosecution regarding the interim investigation results on the 'voluntary defection to North Korea.'
Lee Rae-jin, the deceased Lee’s older brother, filed a complaint on the morning of the 28th at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against former National Security Council (NSC) Secretary Seo Joo-seok and former Blue House Civil Affairs Office administrative officer A, nicknamed the 'King of the Coast Guard,' on charges of obstruction of official duties, abuse of authority, and falsification of official documents.
Former Secretary Seo was identified as the person behind the Ministry of National Defense’s directive to change its stance regarding the incineration of Lee’s body. Administrative officer A is suspected of delivering the Blue House’s directive to the Coast Guard to focus the investigation on the defection and directly pressuring the Coast Guard investigation.
The bereaved family also filed complaints against Yoon Sung-hyun, then head of the Namhae Maritime Police Agency (former head of the Coast Guard Investigation Intelligence Bureau), and Kim Tae-gyun, then chief of the Ulsan Coast Guard Station (former head of the Coast Guard Criminal Division), who were responsible for the investigation at the time, on the same charges.
Earlier, on the 22nd, Lee had filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against former National Security Office Director Suh Hoon, former Blue House Civil Affairs Chief Kim Jong-ho, and former Civil Affairs Secretary Lee Kwang-cheol, accusing them of pressuring the Coast Guard investigation results announcement by labeling the deceased as a defector to North Korea based solely on unclear circumstantial evidence.
The Public Investigation Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Choi Chang-min), which is investigating this case, plans to summon Lee as a complainant for questioning on the afternoon of the 29th.
Lee Dae-jin, who worked as a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, was shot dead by North Korean soldiers in the northern West Sea in September 2020. It is reported that the North Korean soldiers burned his body after shooting him. At the time, the Coast Guard announced interim investigation results stating that Lee was judged to have defected to North Korea based on intelligence intercepted by military and intelligence authorities and his debts, eight days after he went missing. However, the final investigation results announced on the 16th overturned the previous announcement, stating that "no intention of defection was found."
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