Suh Hoon, Kim Hong-hee Acquitted Again in 'West Sea Official Killing' Case

[Anchor]

Suh Hoon, former Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, and Kim Hong-hee, former Commissioner General of the Korea Coast Guard, have been acquitted once again in the appellate trial regarding the killing of a South Korean government official in the West Sea. The court ruled that it is difficult to conclude that the two individuals created or distributed false information when announcing the investigation results at the time.

Reporter Jeon Yeon-nam has the story.

[Reporter]

The Seoul High Court has upheld the acquittal of former National Security Office Director Suh Hoon and former Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Hong-hee, who were indicted on charges including the creation of false official documents related to the West Sea official killing case.

This decision matches the ruling made in the first trial.

The West Sea official killing case refers to the incident in September 2020 where Lee Dae-jun, an official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, went missing in waters near the West Sea and was subsequently discovered and shot to death by North Korean forces.

The court stated, "While the Coast Guard's investigation announcement at the time contained hasty or definitive expressions, it is difficult to view them as the creation and distribution of false information that does not align with the truth," thereby rejecting the charges of creating false official documents against the two.

Specifically, the court reasoned that because it was impossible to know what happened before the late Lee Dae-jun was discovered in North Korean waters, it could not be definitively concluded that he did not defect voluntarily. The court viewed the Coast Guard's announcement at the time as a judgment based on investigation results rather than a confirmation of voluntary defection.

Furthermore, the court determined that given the fact that the deceased was wearing a life jacket when discovered in North Korean waters and the evidence that he expressed an intent to defect to North Korean soldiers, it was reasonable and justifiable for Suh and Kim to conclude that Lee had an intention to defect voluntarily.

Suh was accused of ordering the Coast Guard to distribute false press releases suggesting that Lee was still being searched for while the fact of his killing was being concealed, and of directing the creation and distribution of reports to "fabricate a defection."

Kim was indicted on charges of distributing false materials regarding the possibility of defection in accordance with these instructions.

The first trial had previously acquitted both Suh and Kim, and the prosecution appealed only regarding certain charges.

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won, former Minister of National Defense Suh Wook, and former NIS Chief of Staff Noh Eun-chae, who were also acquitted in the first trial, have had their acquittals finalized as the prosecution did not appeal their cases.

(Video Editing: Jang Hyun-ki)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.