The top office says it is keeping a close eye on the probe into two former chiefs of the National Intelligence Service on their alleged mishandling of high-profile cases involving North Korea.
An official from the presidential office said that the administration is focused on whether there were serious criminal violations after the NIS on Wednesday filed complaints against two former directors, Park Jie-won and Suh Hoon, for two separate incidents involving North Korea.
Park is accused of deleting records without proper authorization related to North Korea’s killing of a South Korean fisheries official in 2020. The prosecution is investigating claims that the previous Moon Jae-in administration attempted to frame the slain fisheries official by claiming that he was seeking to defect to the North.
Suh is facing allegations that he halted an investigation into the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen who sought to defect to the South in 2019. The two were accused of killing 16 others before arriving in the South. Such repatriation may constitute a violation of human rights.
The official refrained from giving further details, saying that the top office only became aware of the NIS’ accusations of its former chiefs after the agency’s press release.
Source: KBS World Radio