President promised to find truth but appears to be covering up the case
The family members of a South Korean civil servant killed by North Korean troops after he went missing near the border visited the presidential Blue House to return President Moon Jae-in’s letter personally written to the victim’s son. Moon promised he will do everything he can to find the truth, but the family members argued that they can no longer trust this promise.
The family tried to enter the presidential Blue House on Tuesday to personally return the president’s letter and the court ruling document that ruled the Blue House must release documents related to the killing. However, they were blocked from entering the building by the police.
The September 22, 2020 incident was criticized by many South Koreans, as the government appeared to be hiding the truth behind the case. North Korea argued that its soldiers killed the 47-year-old official working for the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and set his body on fire for fear that he might be carrying the coronavirus. This was the first time North Korea killed a South Korean citizen in its territory since 2008.
The victim’s wife, older brother, and their lawyer Kim Ki-yoon held a press conference in front of the Blue House. They said that Moon promised to find the truth for the victim’s teenage son but has not contacted them and was busy trying to hide the information by appealing the court’s ruling made in November.
They read a letter that the victim’s son wrote to President Moon at the press conference. The victim’s son wrote, “The president’s letter was nothing more than an attempt to ease negative public sentiment.” He added that “I don’t expect anything from the president anymore, so I no longer need this promise letter that was, in fact, irresponsible and cowardly.”
“The president promised to personally take care of this matter to find the truth but it was just a lie to a high school student who lost his father due to North Korea. I hope he reads what he promised once again and remembers my anger.”
The older brother of the victim, Lee Rae-jin, asked reporters whether South Korea is a democratic country. He argued that the current government falsified a story that his brother voluntarily went to North Korea. He mentioned a case where a North Korean defector was repatriated to North Korea due to humanitarian reasons. “They are making my brother, who faithfully worked as a civil servant for 8 years, into a person who voluntarily went to North Korea, while embracing the person who actually went to North Korea at his own will. What kind of logic is this?”
Some lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), including Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector elected as a lawmaker of the party, visited the press conference. “We came to the Republic of Korea seeking freedom, but situations like this case where we ask where the government and the president stands continue to occur,” Ji said. “I feel sorry looking at a government that cannot prevent actions taken by North Korea.”
After the press conference, the victim’s family members walked toward the entrance of the Blue House but were blocked by some 30 police officers. The lawyer argued that they are trying to look at the related document following the court’s ruling. The victim’s wife kept crying and asked the police to allow them in.
After about 15 minutes of confrontation, the victim’s family left the president’s letter and the court ruling document in front of the police line. The victim’s wife said that “blocking citizens from doing righteous acts cannot happen in a free democratic country.” She added, “I hope the president goes through the same heartbreaking situation.”
The Blue House appealed the case in court. During the trial last year, the Blue House argued that it cannot release relevant documents as they plan to designate them as presidential records. The Blue House added that presidential records contain various sensitive information related to national security and national defense.
At that time, the family argued that the Blue House tried to cover up the case by saying that the documents related to the killing have not yet been designated as presidential records. The family criticized the Blue House for declaring that documents set to be designated as presidential records should also be protected in advance.
