Prosecutors Question Bereaved Family of 'Seohae Killed Official' for 7 Hours... Seo Hoon and Lee Kwang-chul Among Complainants

Lee Rae-jin, the elder brother of the public official killed in the West Sea, is holding a press conference on the 22nd at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, regarding the criminal complaint against officials from the National Security Office and the Civil Affairs Office of the Moon Jae-in administration. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The prosecution summoned the bereaved family of Lee Dae-jun, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was killed by North Korean soldiers in the West Sea in 2020, to investigate them as complainants against officials of the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House.

The Public Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Chang-min) summoned Lee Rae-jin, Lee's older brother and complainant, and Lee's wife Kwon Young-mi on the 29th to conduct complainant investigations. The investigation, which began at 2 p.m., lasted about seven hours.

Earlier, on the 22nd, Lee Rae-jin 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 leading the 'defector to the North' frame against his younger brother Lee (charges include obstruction of official duties, abuse of authority, and falsification of official documents).

Additionally, on the 28th, he filed further complaints against former National Security Council (NSC) Secretary General Suh Joo-seok, former Blue House Civil Affairs Office administrative officer A, nicknamed the 'Coast Guard King,' former Namhae Maritime Police Agency Chief Yoon Sung-hyun (former head of the Coast Guard Investigation Intelligence Bureau), and Kim Tae-gyun, Chief of Ulsan Maritime Police Station (former head of the Coast Guard Criminal Division), on the same charges.

Before the investigation, Kwon Young-mi stated, "Being labeled as a defector to the North is a cruel accusation that makes it impossible for not only the person involved but also the surviving family to live on Korean soil," adding, "Unless there is a direct voice from the person expressing the intention to defect to the North, no one can lightly conclude that they defected."

Kim Ki-yoon, the legal representative of the bereaved family, said, "It is fortunate that the complainant investigation was conducted in a relatively short time," and emphasized the significance of this investigation by saying, "I believe this complainant investigation is the first step in uncovering the truth of this case."

At around 9:22 p.m. on the same day, the bereaved family who finished the investigation said, "The prosecution actively questioned what measures the government took during the six hours when Lee was killed by North Korean soldiers."

Attorney Kim stated, "We were investigated about the grounds on which the Coast Guard announced the defection to the North, the government's response during the six hours, the Blue House's instructions to the Ministry of National Defense, and the guidelines the Blue House issued to the Coast Guard," and claimed, "To properly understand the government's response, it is necessary to conduct a search and seizure of the Presidential Archives."

Meanwhile, regarding his rebuttal of the claim that Democratic Party lawmakers Hwang Hee and Kim Cheol-min tried to persuade him to acknowledge his brother's defection immediately after the incident, Lee Rae-jin said, "What words would be needed for the government and ruling party officials at the time who mercilessly killed my brother and left me speechless?" and added, "I intended to undergo another investigation and reveal the coercion when the new government took office."

Lee Dae-jun was killed by North Korean soldiers in the northern West Sea in September 2020. It is reported that the North Korean soldiers shot him and then burned his body.

At the time, the Korea Coast Guard, which announced the interim investigation results eight days after Lee's disappearance and judged that he defected to the North, changed its position on the 16th, more than two years after the incident, by announcing the final investigation results stating that "no intention to defect to the North was found."