Seoul condemns North Korean military’s shooting of official as ‘act of atrocity’
- The 47-year-old official disappeared on Monday from a government vessel near the countries’ sea border, suggesting he was seeking to defect
- North Korean soldiers deployed along the borders with China and the South are reportedly subject to a standing order to shoot-to-kill
“We strongly condemn this act of atrocity,” Lieutenant General Ahn Yong-ho said. “We firmly demand the North to offer explanations in detail and sternly punish those responsible.”
The official affiliated with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries was on duty aboard a 500-ton government boat when he disappeared around noon on Monday. His shoes were found left on the vessel, suggesting he intentionally went overboard. An intensive search operation produced no results. A South Korean military official said the man was apparently attempting to defect to the North.
A day after he went missing, the man was spotted by a North Korean fishing boat. North Korea sent officials wearing gas masks to learn why he was there on Tuesday afternoon. Later in the day, a North Korean navy boat came and opened fire at him, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said.
Sailors from the boat, wearing gas masks and protective suits, poured petrol on his body and set it aflame, the Defence Ministry said, citing intelligence gathered by surveillance equipment and other assets.
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Defecting North Korean soldier shot seven times
