Was the Incineration of a Shot S. Korean Official in Accordance with Kim Jong-un’s Instructions?

The shocking incident took place on September 22nd. A civil servant in his 40’s, who disappeared while overseeing management of South Korean fisheries in the West Sea was killed by the North Korean soldiers, who shot him as he drifted in North Korean waters. South Korea’s military authorities later announced that the official’s body “had had oil poured over it and been burned."

As anger at the atrocity overwhelmed South Korean society, it was only on September 25th, three days after the incident, that the Unification Front, North Korea’s department in charge of relations with the South, sent a notice to South Korea. The message read, “Our military concluded that the illegal intruder was shot and killed, and burned his floatable device according to our epidemiological regulations.”

The North explained that it was the floatation device, not the body, that had been incinerated according to coronavirus measures. It is hard to understand why either the body or floatation device would have been burned at sea. However, for North Korea, the killing and subsequent incineration may have been seen as the natural thing to do.

A document obtained by ASIAPRESS shows that the act was in accordance with instructions given earlier by Kim Jong-un. The document, entitled “The Words of Kim Jong-un on May 23,” is designated as “top secret.”

The document reads, “Do not thoughtlessly touch goods, fliers, and refuse from foreign territory. These items must be collected, disinfected, and then incinerated in the presence of relevant officials.”

In addition, on July 20, in an internal document entitled “Comrade Kim Jong-un's Speech to the Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committee,” Kim Jong-un said the following.

“The National Ministry of State Security, the Border Security Bureau, and the local county and city offices of the Ministry of State Security, police, and quarantine command should cooperate to thoroughly collect, disinfect, and incinerate refuse around rivers and block off areas in which residents could come into contact with such items.”

In North Korea, Kim Jong-un's orders are absolute. As such, the national emergency disease prevention measures, in which Kim Jong-un’s instructions were reflected, must be seen as absolute orders as well. With this being the case, the South Korean official’s body and/or float would have been mercilessly incinerated, in accordance with the instructions set out by the leader.
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