South Korea: Ex-national security chief arrested

South Korea's former director of national security, Suh Hoon, was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of covering up the death of a fisheries official by North Korean soldiers in 2020.

The killing came at a time when former President Moon Jae-in was seeking a level of rapprochement with Pyongyang.

Judge Kim Jeong-min of the Seoul Central District Court granted the prosecutor's request for Suh to be arrested over concerns that he may attempt to destroy evidence, the court said in a statement.

Previously, South Korea's former defense minister and coast guard chief were arrested for their alleged involvement in covering up the circumstances surrounding the killing in October. 

What is Suh accused of doing?

The former spy chief is accused of ordering the destruction of intelligence reports to conceal the killing of Lee Dae-jun, who was killed near the nautical border between North and South Korea.

This was allegedly done to support the Moon government's claim that Lee had been trying to defect to North Korea citing gambling debts and family issues.

A previous probe by the Board of Audit and Inspection found that officials from the Moon administration had in fact made no meaningful effort to rescue Lee after finding out that the fisheries officials was adrift near North Korea's territorial waters.

At the time South Korea's military released a statement to say that said evidence showed North Korean soldiers had found the man — an employee of South Korea's Fisheries Ministry — on a floating object near the two countries' disputed sea boundary.

It said he was questioned by troops wearing gas masks, before being shot, doused in oil and set alight. 

Democratic Party critical of arrest

Moon's Democratic Party has slammed the arrest of Suh and in a statement said that concerns he may destroy evidence were unreasonable considering "all materials are in the hands of the Yoon Suk Yeol government.”

"The Defense Ministry, Coast Guard, National Intelligence Service and other security-related agencies have made a judgment on the Western Sea incident based on an analysis of information and circumstances,'' the party said in a statement, calling the investigation a form of political vendetta.

kb/ar (AFP, AP)