Cheong Wa Dae Condemns N. Korea's Killing Of S. Korean Official

Reporter Ron Chang ㅣ 2020-09-24 18:33

Suh Choo-suk, deputy director of the National Security Office, briefs reporters about North Korea's fatal shooting of a South Korean official on September 24, 2020.

Cheong Wa Dae has strongly denounced North Korea's fatal shooting of a South Korean fisheries official earlier this week.

Suh Choo-suk, deputy director of the National Security Office, issued a statement Thursday condemning the North Korean military's shooting of the official who had "no weapon and no intention to resist," and damaging his body.

Suh stressed that that such an act cannot be justified for any reason, adding that it goes against international norms and humanitarianism.

He called on Pyongyang to apologize, take measures to prevent a recurrence and punish those responsible.

Separately, President Moon Jae-in called the killing "shocking," reiterating that it will not be tolerated for any reason.

Earlier in the day, Seoul's defense ministry confirmed the North had shot and burned the body of the 47-year-old fisheries official, who went missing on Monday during a patrol in waters near the western sea border.

This is the first time a South Korean civilian has been shot dead in North Korean since 2008, when a tourist was killed while wandering into a restricted zone at the North's Mount Kumgang resort.