Yoon’s transition team meets with bereaved family of S. Korean man killed by N. Korea

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition committee on Monday met with family of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official who was shot dead by North Korean troops near the western sea border on Sept. 21, 2020.

Ahn Cheol-soo, the chief of the presidential transition committee, spoke with the official’s older brother Lee Rae-jin and an attorney representing his family at around 12: p.m. at the committee’s office in Jongno, central Seoul.
In a letter delivered to Ahn on Monday, Lee asked the incoming administration to address his brother’s death and take steps to improve safety at sea, condemning North Korea for its brutality.

“Despite the brutal murder of South Korean citizen, our president has only been interested in making peace with North Korea,” read the letter, which was seen by The Korea Herald.

Lee went on to say that the Moon Jae-in administration was trying to stop the disclosure of information surrounding the killing by keeping them classified as presidential records. Lee’s family is in a court battle against the government and Cheong Wa Dae over the release of materials. Cheong Wa Dae has since appealed the court’s order to release certain information relating to the case from November last year.

“The incumbent president and his administration have not offered a word of apology for poor investigation into my brother’s death or the humiliations that my family suffered over the series of announcements by government agencies,” Lee said.

In January last year, Ahn, who was then-chairperson of the central People Party, met with the official’s son who was a high school senior at the time and promised help. In a statement posted on social media, Ahn said, “President Moon’s promise to uncover the truth has not been kept, and those who should be held accountable are still ministers and chiefs of agencies.”

Yoon, during his presidential campaign, had promised to look into the death of the official, after meeting with the family, and to withdraw the appeal against the court ruling that records be released.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)