North Korea shot dead South Korean man in territorial waters
North Korean forces shot dead a South Korean fishing worker who, missing from the patrol boat he was sailing on, ended up in the territorial waters of Pyongyang, near the western border island of Yeonpyeong.
AP Photo / Lee Jin-man
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
North Korean forces shot dead a South Korean, who had defected in Pyongyang territorial waters, before spraying his body with gasoline to burn him for fear of coronavirus contamination.
This is what the South Korean army said this Thursday, September 24.
The Ministry of Defense in Seoul called the act “scandalous”.
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Before disappearing, the 47-year-old was aboard a patrol boat that sailed near the western border island of Yeonpyeong, the South Korean defense ministry said in a statement.
He was wearing a life jacket, a military official told AFP, adding that "
the circumstances suggest that he intended to defect
" without providing any evidence for this claim.
According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the man was located by North Korean forces and questioned from a boat by an official dressed in protective gear.
“
He was shot in the water
, according to the military official interviewed by AFP.
North Korean soldiers poured gasoline on his body and burned him in the water
.
The order to shoot him was given by "
a higher authority
," according to Yonhap.
"
We solemnly warn North Korea that all the responsibilities related to this incident are incumbent upon it,
" blasted the South Korean Defense Ministry.
A "buffer zone" to prevent a Covid-19 epidemic
In July, a North Korean defector who had fled to the South three years ago returned to his country, successfully crossing the "
demarcation line
" that acts as a border with South Korea.
This had prompted the North Korean authorities to order the confinement of the city of Kaesong, located on the border, for fear that the individual would carry the coronavirus.
►
To read: North Korea announces its first "suspected" case of coronavirus
The commander of US forces in
South Korea
, Robert Abrams, claimed that the North Korean authorities ordered the shooting of those who tried to enter the country
from China
, in order to prevent an epidemic of coronavirus.
A “buffer zone” at the border has been created, with special forces soldiers ready to fire.
Pyongyang has so far claimed not to have recorded any cases of Covid-19 in its territory.
North Korea closed its borders in late January, when the epidemic was exploding in China, and imposed drastic restrictions on its population, including strict containment of thousands of people.
(
With
AFP)
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