An investigation by the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is raising fresh questions about the death of a South Korean official in 2020, which the previous administration wrote off as a failed defection attempt.
Documents from a parliamentary inquiry, the coast guard and a human rights watchdog provide previously unpublished details about the final moments of Lee Dae-jin, a state fishery ministry employee who died at sea at the hands of North Korean troops.
The parliamentary report shows that the coast guard failed to follow proper search procedures and that officials delayed sharing the news that he had been captured with other government ministries, which lawmakers say may have cost Lee his life.