South Korea asks North Korea to further investigate the shooting death of its official

A South Korean fisheries patrol vessel anchored in the Yellow Sea. Photo: Yonhap/VNA

South Korea will ask North Korea to conduct a further investigation into the shooting death of its citizen in the territorial waters between the two countries. Seoul also did not rule out the possibility of a joint investigation with Pyongyang if necessary.

In a statement on September 26, the South Korean presidential office said that an investigation was necessary because Pyongyang's explanation of the incident had some differences with Seoul's. After a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on the evening of September 25, the South Korean government decided to request a deeper investigation and suggested holding a joint investigation between the two sides if necessary.

"Due to the differences between North Korea's explanation and South Korea's intelligence analysis, we decided to continue our investigation into the incident to clarify the truth," the Blue House said in a statement. The Blue House also pledged to strengthen surveillance of the Yellow Sea area to avoid similar incidents from recurring.

According to the South Korean military, on September 21, the North Korean military shot dead an official from the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The man went missing at noon on September 21 while on duty on a patrol boat in the waters off Yeonpyeong Island.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apologized to President Moon Jae-in and the South Korean people for the incident. North Korea said its military only intended to shoot the object the official was clinging to to float on the water, not the person himself.