'West Sea Official Killing, Forced Repatriation of Defecting Fisherman'... National Assembly Intelligence Committee Report Also a Hot Topic

NIS "Former Directors Park Ji-won and Seo Hoon Reported... Reported to President Yoon"

Kim Kyu-hyun, Director of the National Intelligence Service, is attending the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly on the 2nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 2nd, the National Assembly Intelligence Committee received a report on the killing of the Seohae government official and the forced repatriation of defecting fishermen, including related accusations.

Yoo Sang-beom of the People Power Party and Yoon Geon-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, who serve as the ruling and opposition party secretaries of the Intelligence Committee, held a briefing after the committee session. Rep. Yoo introduced the accusations related to the killing of the Seohae government official and the forced repatriation of defecting fishermen, stating that "they only target violations of domestic law."

He explained, "I asked the Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) various questions based on the positions of the ruling and opposition parties regarding the forced repatriation case of defecting fishermen and the expulsion case of heinous criminals, which Rep. Yoon focused on. In response, the NIS Director stated that accusations were made only in cases of domestic law violations, and that specific factual details cannot be disclosed as investigations are currently underway."

Regarding the accusations against former NIS Directors Park Ji-won and Seo Hoon, the NIS replied that "it has been reported to President Yoon."

Rep. Yoon said, "There were slight differences in the ruling and opposition parties' claims about the X-file mentioned by former Director Park," adding, "Some opinions suggested it might be a violation of the National Intelligence Service Act, while others disagreed."

Regarding North Korea's nuclear test, the NIS reported to the National Assembly that "under the judgment that the 7th nuclear test is imminent, they are reviewing expected nuclear test scenarios and focusing all efforts on tracking activities." However, the ruling and opposition party secretaries said, "It was not about specific details but only a general report on preparations," and added, "If specific signs appear, we expect an immediate urgent inquiry."