North Korea has shot dead a South Korean in its territorial waters

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North Korean forces shot dead a South Korean, who had defected in Pyongyang territorial waters, before spraying his body with gasoline to burn him for fear of covid-19 contamination. This is what the South Korean army said this Thursday, September 24. The Ministry of Defense in Seoul called the act scandalous.

According to the South Korean military, the man, 47, was an official in the fisheries department. Before disappearing, he was aboard a patrol boat that sailed near the western border island of Yeonpyeong, South Korea's defense ministry said in a statement. He was wearing a life jacket, a military official told AFP adding that the circumstances suggest that he intended to defect without providing any evidence for this claim.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the man was located by North Korean forces and questioned from a boat by an official dressed in protective gear. He was shot in the water , according to the military official interviewed by AFP. North Korean soldiers poured gasoline on his body and burned him in the water. The order to shoot him was given by a higher authority, according to Yonhap.

We solemnly warn North Korea that all the responsibilities related to this incident are incumbent upon it, blasted the South Korean Ministry of Defense.