Prosecution Requests Ministry of Justice to Extend Dispatch of Prosecutors for 'West Sea Shooting and Forced Repatriation' Investigation Team

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution has requested the Ministry of Justice to extend the working period of prosecutors dispatched to the investigation teams for the 'West Sea Public Official Killing Incident' and the 'Forced Repatriation of North Korean Fishermen Incident.'

According to the prosecution on the 10th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office recently requested the Ministry of Justice to extend the dispatch period of three out of four prosecutors from other offices who were dispatched as acting officers to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, as their terms were nearing expiration.

Currently, 10 prosecutors are investigating in the Public Investigation Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Lee Hee-dong), and including internal dispatchers, 8 prosecutors are investigating in the Public Investigation Division 3 (Chief Prosecutor Lee Jun-beom).

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office dispatched four prosecutors from other offices (three to Public Investigation Division 1 and one to Division 3) to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in the form of acting officers. They joined the investigation teams last month and are responsible for investigating related parties and analyzing seized materials.

The Public Investigation Division 1 is looking into allegations that the Blue House and government ministries attempted to cover up the incident by labeling Mr. Lee Dae-jun, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries employee who was killed in North Korean waters in September 2020, as having defected to the North. They secured related materials by raiding the National Intelligence Service and summoned and investigated coast guard officers who conducted search operations at the time of Mr. Lee's disappearance, as well as military personnel in charge of signal interception.

The Public Investigation Division 3 is investigating allegations that the National Intelligence Service and others prematurely ended a joint investigation of two North Korean fishermen suspected of killing 16 fellow crew members in November 2019 and forcibly repatriated them to North Korea. Naval officers involved in the capture process and officials from the Ministry of Unification who prepared explanatory materials were subjected to prosecution investigations.