The Unification Ministry has denounced the North’s killing of a South Korean official, saying it pours cold water on Seoul’s consistent patience and efforts for inter-Korean reconciliation and peace. 

In a statement released on Thursday, the South Korean ministry that handles inter-Korean affairs offered condolences for the victim and strongly condemned the murder, which it called an “unjustifiable and anti-human act.”

It also issued a grave protest over the incident, saying it runs counter to the South Korean public’s aspiration for peace of the Korean Peninsula, and urged Pyongyang to explain in detail and take measures to prevent the recurrence of such cases. 

According to the South Korean military, the 47-year-old fisheries official, who had been tasked with inspecting fishing vessels, crossed into North Korean waters on Monday, and was shot dead the next day by North Korean soldiers onboard a patrol boat. The North also reportedly burned the body.

The official’s death was revealed a day after President Moon Jae-in called for the United Nations’ support for ending the Korean War in a fresh bid to rekindle the stalled talks between the two Koreas and between the U.S. and the North.