Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in involved in investigations
Prosecutors are seeking arrest warrants for a former defence minister and a former Coast Guard general commissioner in connection with two cases that touch Moon’s détente policies with North Korea. According to the opposition Democratic Party, President Yoon Suk-yeol is the mastermind of the whole affair.
Milan (AsiaNews) – Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a democrat, has been caught up in two investigations that touch his détente policies vis-à-vis North Korea.
The first case involves the repatriation, in 2019, of North Korean defectors for killing another defector as they tried to make their way to South Korea.
The second concerns the death of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korea in 2020. South Korean authorities apparently tried to claim (without sufficient evidence according to investigators) that he was trying to defect to the North when he was killed.
The former president is not yet under investigation, but as time goes by, it seems increasingly likely that prosecutors might go after him.
For now, they are trying to get arrest warrants for a former defence minister and a former Coast Guard commissioner general, which could arrive as early as this evening.
The two are accused of falsifying official documents related to the 2020 killing to prevent criticism of North Korea. But others too could end up in the crosshairs of investigators.
Last week, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) recommended opening an investigation into 20 Moon administration officials, including a former defence minister, a former intelligence chief, and a national security adviser.
This month, the BAI tried to get Moon to answer questions in writing over the fisheries official’s case, but the former president refused, calling the request “disrespectful”.
According to the ruling conservatives, the falsification of documents could not have happened without Moon’s direct intervention.
With respect to the repatriation of defectors in 2019, Moon's presidential chief of staff was questioned on Wednesday to determine his involvement in the affair and whether he acted on orders.
Photos published during the summer suggest that neither deserter wished to return to the North.
The Democratic Party, now in opposition, strongly protested the investigations. The party whip Park Hong-keun blames President Yoon Suk-yeol for the probe into the previous administration.
During the election campaign last March, Yoon said that he would call for an investigation of his rival. “It is obvious that the presidential office is the mastermind," he said.
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