RIVAL PARTIES CLASH OVER REPATRIATION

입력 2022.07.21 (15:10) 수정 2022.07.21 (17:11)

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[Anchor Lead]

Rival parties continue to clash over the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019. A People Power Party task force has newly claimed, citing testimony from other North Korean defectors, that the two fishermen were actually brokers helping others to defect. The task force said the government announcement at the time, accusing the two of killing 16 fellow crew members, was also false. The main opposition Democratic Party refuted that both individuals confessed to the killings and called on the PPP to stop its political offensive.

[Pkg]

The People Power Party has unveiled new testimony indicating that the two North Korean fishermen sent back to the North in 2019 did not kill 16 people. It said they were actually brokers helping those same people flee the North. The PPP argues the two fishermen were executed 3 days after they were repatriated. The 16 people were reportedly members of five households in the city of Kimchaek who attempted to flee to South Korea.

[Soundbite] Han Ki-ho(PPP(Task force on Nat’l Security)) : "The North lied about the killings to have the two brokers repatriated."

During the PPP's announcement, one defector also shared the view that he cannot believe the South Korean government's claim that 19 people were on board a 16 meter long North Korean vessel. On whether there was evidence to prove the two fishermen were brokers, the task force did not give details citing the need to protect the identity of defectors who gave the information. The Democratic Party, which earlier visited the unification ministry to protest the video footage release of the incident, said it is dumbfounded by the claim. The DP blasted the PPP's claim as a complete disregard of facts and called on the ruling party to come to its senses. The DP stressed the government at the time questioned the two fishermen separately and both of them confessed to killing 16 people. The confession was also consistent with intelligence obtained through wiretapping, according to the DP.

[Soundbite] Woo Sang-ho(Chair, DP Emergency Committee) : "Even considering they're N. Koreans, who would confess to killing 16 people when they had not done so?"

In 2019, there were rumors about the fishermen's real identities as defection brokers. One news outlet had to make a correction after releasing an article on the matter.

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  • RIVAL PARTIES CLASH OVER REPATRIATION
    • 입력 2022-07-21 15:09:59
    • 수정2022-07-21 17:11:50
    News Today
[Anchor Lead]

Rival parties continue to clash over the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019. A People Power Party task force has newly claimed, citing testimony from other North Korean defectors, that the two fishermen were actually brokers helping others to defect. The task force said the government announcement at the time, accusing the two of killing 16 fellow crew members, was also false. The main opposition Democratic Party refuted that both individuals confessed to the killings and called on the PPP to stop its political offensive.

[Pkg]

The People Power Party has unveiled new testimony indicating that the two North Korean fishermen sent back to the North in 2019 did not kill 16 people. It said they were actually brokers helping those same people flee the North. The PPP argues the two fishermen were executed 3 days after they were repatriated. The 16 people were reportedly members of five households in the city of Kimchaek who attempted to flee to South Korea.

[Soundbite] Han Ki-ho(PPP(Task force on Nat’l Security)) : "The North lied about the killings to have the two brokers repatriated."

During the PPP's announcement, one defector also shared the view that he cannot believe the South Korean government's claim that 19 people were on board a 16 meter long North Korean vessel. On whether there was evidence to prove the two fishermen were brokers, the task force did not give details citing the need to protect the identity of defectors who gave the information. The Democratic Party, which earlier visited the unification ministry to protest the video footage release of the incident, said it is dumbfounded by the claim. The DP blasted the PPP's claim as a complete disregard of facts and called on the ruling party to come to its senses. The DP stressed the government at the time questioned the two fishermen separately and both of them confessed to killing 16 people. The confession was also consistent with intelligence obtained through wiretapping, according to the DP.

[Soundbite] Woo Sang-ho(Chair, DP Emergency Committee) : "Even considering they're N. Koreans, who would confess to killing 16 people when they had not done so?"

In 2019, there were rumors about the fishermen's real identities as defection brokers. One news outlet had to make a correction after releasing an article on the matter.

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