Kim Jong Un Apologizes For Death Of South Korean
The North-South Korean border is the result of an unresolved armistice between the two nations.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un apologized on September 25 for the death of a South Korean government worker who had crossed into North Korean waters. The deceased was a 47-year-old official affiliated with the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries who disappeared while aboard an inspection boat off the western border island of Yeonpyeong.
Tensions began to rise on June 9, when North Korea cut off all official communication with South Korea due to North Korean defectors distributing anti-Pyongyang leaflets. Later that month, the North Korean government closed and destroyed a joint liaison office in Kaesong, a city on the northern side of the border. South Korea’s then-Unification Minister resigned afterward.
According to an official with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the worker went missing on September 21. South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed in a statement on September 24 that the worker had been fatally shot in North Korean waters and that his body had been cremated. The Ministry “strongly [condemned] such a brutal act” and requested that the North provide an explanation.
The North Korean Unification Front Department sent a communique to Seoul’s Presidential Office on September 25 outlining the events and including an expression of regret from Kim. It claimed that the worker did not comply with demands to identify himself and that warning shots were fired before the soldiers fired the 10 rounds that killed him.
The statement added that North Korea has strengthened its maritime surveillance due to its concerns regarding the coronavirus; after soldiers presumed the man to be dead, they burned the floating object in the ocean per North Korea's COVID-19 disease prevention measures.
"Chairman Kim Jong-Un asked to convey that he feels very sorry that instead of giving aid to our compatriots in the South who are struggling with COVID epidemic, we have given President Moon and our compatriots in the South a great disappointment with this unseen misfortune in our sea," the letter read, according to South Korea’s Presidential Blue House.
Harry Kazianis, senior director of Korean studies at the Washington-based Institute for the National Interest, noted that Kim's apology may have been driven by his need to keep his country from further isolation.
The possibility of the deceased defecting to the North further complicates the incident.
The Incheon Coast Guard said in a press briefing on September 24 that, though the deceased did not leave any will or evidence of a planned defection to North Korea, they could not rule out the possibility. The Coast Guard pointed out details such as his shoes remaining on the boat, his familiarity with the area’s currents, and the life jacket he wore when he was found in North Korean waters.
Meanwhile, the two brothers of the deceased tried to dispel such suspicion. The elder brother said in a radio interview on September 25 that the possibility the deceased inadvertently fell off the boat should not be ruled out. The brother also said the waters are very rough compared to other regions, as there are many reefs around Yeonpyeongdo, making the water depths vary greatly. Their efforts to disprove the possibility of defection could be understood for the stigma in South Korea of being associated with defectors to the north.
Defections from the South to the North do happen occasionally, though infrequently. In a highly publicized case in 2019, Choe In-guk defected to North Korea at the age of 73, reportedly abiding by his parents’ dying wish.
While the statement from North Korea points out that this incident "will clearly negatively impact inter-Korean relations" going forward, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-ha said that an offer of continued dialogue with the North Korean government remains open.