Inspection of official slain by N. Korea in 2020 to be referred to prosecutors

SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Yonhap) -- The state auditor looking into the killing of a South Korean fisheries official by North Korea near the western sea border in 2020 will wrap up the probe and refer those who were responsible for the case to prosecutors this month, officials at the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) said Tuesday.

The killing of the fisheries official has become a political hot potato since the government of President Yoon Suk-yeol in June found no evidence that the official intended to defect to the North at the time of his death, reversing an assessment of its predecessor.

The BAI has since launched an inspection into security and defense officials of the former Moon Jae-in administration over its handling of the case.

The BAI will end its inspection into the case on Oct. 14 and refer those who were responsible for the case to prosecutors, the official said.

"For those who have been found to have committed serious violations, we will request an investigation at the end of the audit and inform the public of the details," the official said.

The BAI has asked Moon to answer questions in writing in connection with the case, but Moon rejected the request as "very disrespectful," according to Rep. Youn Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party.

Asked whether the BAI would again attempt to inspect Moon over the case, another BAI official replied that there is "no fixed course" of action, indicating the state auditor may skip an inspection into the former president.

The Yoon government is revisiting the case of the slain fisheries official amid suspicion the previous Moon administration downplayed the incident in a bid to curry favor with Pyongyang.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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