On the 2nd, a memorial service for Lee Dae-jun (47 years old at the time of death), a public official killed by North Korean soldiers in September 2020, is being held on the 2nd floor of the Incheon Port Coastal Passenger Terminal in Jung-gu, Incheon. (Photo by Yonhap News)
[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] A memorial service for the late Lee Dae-jun, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was killed by North Korean soldiers, was held at the Incheon Port Passenger Terminal more than two years after his death. This took place just two weeks after the Coast Guard reversed its investigation results regarding whether the deceased official had defected to North Korea.
Two bereaved family members, including Lee Rae-jin (57), the older brother of the late Lee Dae-jun (47 at the time of death), who belonged to the West Sea Fisheries Guidance Management Unit of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, held the memorial service on the second floor of the Incheon Port Coastal Passenger Terminal in Jung-gu, Incheon.
Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party and head of the ‘Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Official West Sea Attack Truth Investigation Task Force’ (TF), former Navy Logistics Commander Kim Jin-hyung, Ongjin County Governor Moon Kyung-bok, and lawyer Kim Ki-yoon also attended the event.
After offering flowers and a moment of silence, Lee’s older brother and Representative Ha read letters written by the deceased official’s son and daughter in turn. The late official’s son said, “People spoke carelessly about my father, whom they barely knew, and those in power trampled on the lives of the remaining family without regard for their wounds. I know my father very well, who devoted himself to his family and country.”
Lee’s older brother appealed, “My younger brother’s young daughter only learned about her father’s disappearance from the ship about three weeks ago and said, ‘I won’t wait for Dad anymore.’ I hope efforts will be made to uncover the truth to the end rather than using this politically.”
The bereaved family and five others, including Representative Ha, planned to move by ferry and boat to the waters near Yeonpyeong Island at 1 p.m. that day and transfer to the Fisheries Guidance Ship Mugunghwa 35, which belongs to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries West Sea Fisheries Management Unit.
They intended to verify the slippers, life jacket, and floating objects that the Coast Guard had previously presented as evidence of Lee’s defection to North Korea. They also planned to request a thorough investigation into the exact coordinates of the location where Lee was first found.
Representative Ha said, “Among the seven pieces of evidence for defection, except for wiretapping, gambling debts, and mental panic, all others can be verified on the ship and at sea. We will check what floating objects are in the sea and what shoes are worn during night duty inside the ship while boarding the fisheries guidance ship.”
Lawyer Kim said, “We asked the Ministry of National Defense for the latitude and longitude where the North side found the deceased Lee, but they said it was a military secret. The coastal area of Geumdong-ri, Gangryeong-gun, which the Ministry of National Defense disclosed, is a part written in the North Korean communication document, so I thought there might be more related materials and submitted them to the prosecution.”
The bereaved family and the TF planned to inspect the waters where Lee was presumed to have been found and the area near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, hold a memorial service on board, and then return to Incheon Port the following day.
Previously, the Coast Guard announced interim investigation results one week after Lee was shot and killed by North Korean soldiers in the West Sea in September 2020, concluding that he had defected to North Korea. However, the Coast Guard reversed the investigation results last month after 1 year and 9 months, stating in a press briefing that they could not find evidence of Lee’s intention to defect.
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