A special committee of the ruling Democratic Party claims that a fisheries official who was killed by North Korea last week indeed attempted to defect to the North. 

Representative Hwang Hee, the head of the DP special committee, said in a media briefing on Monday that the allegations of defection are being verified as a fact. 

While announcing the death of the 47-year-old fisheries official last week, the South Korean Defense Ministry speculated his intent to defect to North Korea and cited several pieces of circumstantial evidence. The claims of defection, however, became dubious after the North made no mention of it when the regime issued an apology over the killing.  

Hwang advocated the credibility of the South Korean military's account, saying it was acquired by the joint intelligence-gathering activities of South Korea and the U.S., which he described as “world-class” and “fact-focused.” However, he sought public understanding for not disclosing further details as sources of such intel should be protected for the sake of national interest and public safety. 

Representative Kim Byung-joo, another member of the DP special committee, said South Korean military authorities secured contents of dialogue between the slain official and a North Korean vessel exchanged before his death. 

Regarding the differences in accounts from the two Koreas about whether the official’s body was incinerated, Hwang said a joint investigation needs to take place between the two Koreas to determine the truth. 

His comments were made after the DP and the main opposition People Power Party failed to adopt a parliamentary resolution aimed at denouncing the North over the incident due to differences over the alleged burning of the body. 

The resolution passed earlier by the National Assembly National Defense Committee included a phrase that described the burning and called it an act of anti-human brutality, but the DP sought to go without the phrase until facts are verified citing the North’s denial of the burning the body.