Police raid state auditor over alleged military secrets leak in 2020 fisheries official case

▲ A stone marker engraved with the Board of Audit and Inspection's name marks the entrance of the agency's headquarters in central Seoul. (Yonhap)

police-state auditor

Police raid state auditor over alleged military secrets leak in 2020 fisheries official case

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- Police raided the state audit agency Tuesday over allegations that it leaked military secrets when the agency announced its results of an inspection into the 2020 murder of a fisheries official by North Korea.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's anti-corruption unit executed the search and seizure at the Board of Audit and Inspection after receiving complaints against Choi Jae-hae, the agency's former chief, and others over the allegations.

Choi is accused of leaking second-level military secrets when the agency distributed press releases regarding the case in October 2022 and December 2023 during the former administration of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol.

On Sept. 22, 2020, Lee Dae-jun, the fisheries official, was fatally shot by North Korean soldiers near the de facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea, a day after he went missing while on board a fishery inspection ship. His body was burned by the North.

The audit into the case had determined that the then government of former President Moon Jae-in neglected, covered up and distorted facts regarding Lee's death and cast it as an attempt to defect to the North.

While an audit committee had initially decided to not distribute the release as it contained military secrets, such as intelligence indicating Lee's intent to defect, a committee member overturned the decision and made it public.

Under the law, military secrets can be publicized after going through a defense ministry committee review, which did not take place for the 2020 case.

The case has received renewed attention after a Seoul court acquitted former top security officials of the Moon government of involvement in the alleged cover-up in December last year.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved