hankyoreh

Officials from the West Sea Fisheries Management Service crack down on illegal fishing vessels from China in the waters off Gageo Island, South Jeolla Province, in October 2018. (provided by the West Sea Fisheries Management Service)

A Level 8 government official and crew member on the fisheries inspection vessel Mugunghwa 10, who was fatally shot by the North Korean military and set on fire after disappearing in the waters off Lesser Yeonpyeong Island at South Korea’s northernmost West Sea border, was deeply in debt, it has been discovered.

According to the Hankyoreh’s investigation on Sept. 24, the 47-year-old official had incurred around 20 million won (US$17,071) in debt through loans from colleagues. Some of the creditors had reportedly filed requests in court to garnish his wages. The Incheon Coast Guard also reported that the official had “regularly complained about stress due to debts.” The official divorced his wife four months ago, sources said.

A native of Wando, South Jeolla Province, the official graduated from Wando Fisheries High School and went to work in 2012 as a member of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) West Sea Fisheries Management Service, where he worked on an inspection vessel. His place of residence was Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, but he spent much of his time at lodgings in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, where the West Sea Fisheries Management Service is located. Following orders issued on Sept. 14, he boarded the 500-ton Mugunghwa 10 (with a crew of 16) as a first class navigator on Sept. 17. He had been scheduled to conduct inspection duties around Yeonpyeong Island before returning to Mokpo on Sept. 25.

MOF views the likelihood of the official having fallen into the sea by accident as unlikely, as his slippers were found neatly placed to the right side of the vessel’s stern. The Korea Coast Guard explained that his mobile phone had not been found on that boat, adding that a personal address book and wallet were found but showed no unusual aspects such as a suicide note. Two CCTV cameras on the boat were both nonfunctional.

In response to military authorities’ announcement that the official was attempting to defect to North Korea, a Facebook user claiming to be the official’s older brother posted a message reading, “If his identification and government official credentials were still on the boat, I have to ask what their basis is for claiming this was a defection.”

“Currents in these waters are strong, with tides changing four times a day. It doesn’t make sense that he would have been trying to swim over,” the poster argued.

By Kim Yong-hee, Gwangju correspondent, Lee Jung-ha, Incheon correspondent, and Jin Myeong-seon, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]