South Korea: Former defense minister, coast guard chief arrested over alleged involvement in 2020 killing by North Korea

South Korea’s former defense minister and coast guard chief have been issued arrests after they were implicated in the killing of a fisheries official by North Korean border guards in 2020. The arrest warrants were issued, citing the risk of the two officials fleeing the country or destroying the evidence.

The Seoul Central District Court issued arrest warrants Sunday for former defense minister Suh Wook and former coast guard commissioner general Kim Hong-hee, citing that the suspects may flee the country or destroy the evidence. Suh and Kim were implicated in the killing of a fisheries official in 2020 by North Korean border guards.

The warrants follow last week’s demand by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection for prosecutors to investigate 20 people, including Suh and Kim, for allegedly covering up key information related to the killing of fisheries official Lee Dae-jun by North Korean border guards.

The agency said its previous probe into the previous administration’s response to the killing revealed that the officials did not make a meaningful attempt to rescue Lee after they learned that he was drifting in the waters near the North Korean border.

The probe by the agency found that Lee was left in the water for almost six hours and drifted in and out of consciousness after he was found and shot by North Korean guards. The probe also found that the South Korean coast guard and navy also violated rules in their initial rescue efforts by failing to seek help from other ships and authorities near Lee’s location.

The administration of former President Moon Jae-in attempted to allege that Lee was defecting to North Korea after receiving confirmation that Lee was shot and killed. Officials tried to cite Lee’s gambling debts and other family issues and also withheld evidence that suggested Lee did not intend to defect to North Korea.

North and South Korea exchanged warning shots in another sign of heightened tensions in the peninsula. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it broadcast warnings and fired warning shots to deter a North Korean vessel from crossing the Northern Limit Line, which is the de facto sea border of the two Koreas, Monday morning.

Pyongyang said it fired 10 rounds of artillery warning shots on its territorial waters, where it claimed: “naval enemy movement was detected.” Pyongyang accused a South Korean naval ship of intruding into North Korean waters.