An ex-South Korean national security adviser has been arrested for helping North Korean forces "cover up"the killing of a South Korean fisheries official near the border. Suh Hoon says that he did not get rid of evidence that could have helped figure out why Lee Dae-jun was shot and killed in the year 2020.
At the time, there were rumors that he had been killed while trying to leave South Korea for North Korea because he was having personal problems and owed money from gambling. But prosecutors and his family have said that this claim isn't backed up by much evidence.
Because of the case, there is now a political fight. The current administration says that the previous administration tried to get North Korea to like it while it was trying to make things normal between the two countries.
At the time, the South Korean defense ministry said that Lee, a 47-year-old father of two, was on a patrol boat on the island of Yeonpyeong about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the North Korean border when he disappeared in September 2020.
Seoul says that he forgot his shoes on the boat and was found wearing a life jacket by a North Korean patrol boat. Lee was reportedly shot and killed while swimming in the ocean a few hours after being questioned by North Koreans.
The South Korean government said that North Korean troops then burned the body while they were at sea. They thought this might have been done to stop the coronavirus from spreading. Pyongyang hasn't said anything about the matter.
President Moon Jae-administration in's thought that Lee was killed while trying to leave the country. However, when President Yoon Suk-yeol took over as Moon's successor this year, this conclusion was changed.
Mr. Yoon's and the People Power party, which is in power right now, has said that former President Moon and his advisors:
“„Not only let Lee die but killed his honor by claiming his defection while treading on eggshells around (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un's regime.- Mr. Yoon and the People Power party
According to the results of a previous investigation by South Korea's Board of Audit and Inspection, when Mr. Moon's government found out that Lee was adrift in waters close to the Koreas' borders, it didn't do much to help Lee.
The Lee family also said that Mr. Moon's government did not do enough to save the life of their loved one.
Mr. Suh is thought to have ordered the destruction of intelligence reports about Lee's death and tampered with evidence to make it look like he left the organization. He has said that the current administration is taking political revenge on him.
Mr. Moon says that the current government is making claims that are not backed up by evidence, even though his attempts to improve relations with the North failed.