North Korea on Sunday said it was searching for the body of a South Korean official killed by its military. But in the same way, the North issued a warning that the South Korean navy’s operations in the area in question could heighten tensions.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a rare apology Friday for the shooting of a South Korean fisheries official in North Korean waters.
Seoul later urged Pyongyang to further investigate the deadly shooting and suggested the two sides could work together to investigate the incident. The South Korean military blamed North Korean soldiers for killing the official, then pouring fuel on him and setting him on fire near the maritime border.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Sunday that North Korean authorities are considering how to hand over the officer’s body to South Korea if it is found.
The KCNA report said, “It was an incident that should not have happened,” but warned that the South Korean navy’s operations at the site of the accident had entered North Korean waters. The report said, “We urge the South to immediately stop intruding into the military demarcation line in the West Sea to avoid causing an escalation of tensions.”
A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman did not immediately respond to the North’s accusations.
South Korea mobilized 39 ships, including 16 naval vessels, and six aircraft to participate in the search, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. The search continued through Sunday, despite North Korea’s complaints.
KCNA reported that the North also began a search operation.
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