South Korea Politics Roiled by Pair Sent to North, Likely Killed
- Two fisherman may have been executed after return to North
- Probe of Moon officials comes as Yoon Suk Yeol’s ratings slide
The Moon administration has said the two fishermen were sent back after they confessed to murdering 16 on board the fishing boat and had no intention to defect.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/BloombergSouth Korean prosecutors are investigating members of former President Moon Jae-in’s government over the 2019 forced repatriation of two North Koreans, whose return to face criminal charges and likely execution had been denounced by critics as a violation of human rights.
Current President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration this week released photos of the blindfolded and bound fishermen getting dragged across the border. His office issued a statement saying their return to face charges of murdering their fellow crewman on a fishing boat was “a crime against humanity that violated both international law and the constitution.”