| A notice of financial transaction information provided by Mr. B, the spouse of Mr. Lee, a public official of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (provided by the reader)© News 1 |
It has been confirmed that the Coast Guard looked into the account of the wife of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official, Mr. Lee, who was killed by the North Korean military. We also searched the account of the lawyer who was in charge of Lee’s personal rehabilitation advice.
Lawyer A, who advised the personal rehabilitation of Lee, a civil servant of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, who was killed by the North Korean military, said in a phone call with News 1 on the 19th, “I received a notice that the Coast Guard inquired about financial account details on October 12, 2020.”
As a result of the coverage of News 1, it was revealed that the Coast Guard also inquired the account of Mr. B, the spouse of the deceased.
Financial account inquiry conducts investigations when there is a suspicion of a crime, and it is pointed out that the Coast Guard’s confirmation of family financial accounts is not an abuse of investigative power.
Attorney Kim Ki-yoon, who served as the legal representative for Lee’s family, said, “The deceased’s spouse was also inquired about financial account details by the Incheon Coast Guard.”
According to a document sent by the bereaved family to News 1, on October 8, 2020, BNK Busan Bank sent a notice of the provision of financial transaction information to Mr. Lee’s wife, Mr. B.
The notice included that the Incheon Maritime Police Station looked into Mr. B’s account for the purpose of investigation.
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| Coast Guard press release © News1 |
However, the Coast Guard said in a press release on the 19th that it did not check the account details of the lawyer and spouse.
A Coast Guard official said, “It seems that there was a transaction with a rehabilitation lawyer in the customer information file of Lee’s account, an official of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
“This is different from ‘account tracking’ where you see specific transaction details,” he said.
In response, Spouse B claimed that the Coast Guard was lying when there was clear evidence.
Mr. B said, “The Coast Guard abused its investigative authority to fit the motive of her deceased husband’s defection to North Korea into the conclusion that it was ‘gambling debt’.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official Mr. Lee disappeared while on duty at the Mugunghwa 10 off the coast of Yeonpyeong Island around 1:35 a.m. on September 21, 2020, and was killed by a North Korean gunshot on the afternoon of the 22nd of the same month.
At a press conference on October 22, ten days after inquiring about the financial account details of the lawyer in charge of Lee’s personal rehabilitation advice, the Coast Guard said, “The deceased fell into internet gambling and transferred money to his gambling account right before he was on duty.” This is 123 million won,” he said.
guts@news1.kr
