MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th October, 2020) South Korea is considering submitting military intelligence on the North's killing of its official to the UN if the organization initiates an investigation, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook said on Monday.
On September 22, a South Korean official of the fishery department was shot dead by North Korea's security forces. Seoul said that its citizen was possibly trying to defect to the North, as he had serious financial problems at home. South Korea's authorities believe that the man was killed because of the North's fear of COVID-19.
"If the UN carries out an investigation, we will present the facts that we have," Suh said, as quoted by Yonhap news Agency.
The minister added that the UN is aware of the incident, but had not requested information from South Korea.
The South Korean official disappeared near the island of Yeinpyeong, where he was patrolling the area, on September 21. The following day, he was found at sea by North Korean security forces, who shot him in the water, according to the South Korean authorities. Seoul said that the official's body was burned. However, the North denied doing so and stated that only his "floating material" was set afire in accordance with anti-coronavirus measures adopted by Pyongyang.
According to Pyongyang's statement, the North Korean security forces found an individual at sea and asked him to identify himself. The man only answered that he was from the South and refused to speak further. The North's soldiers fired two warning shots, after which the man tried to escape, forcing the North Korean border guards to shoot and kill the intruder.
