The brother of the person shot dead by North Korea denounced the South Korean government

The death of South Korean fisheries official Lee sparked controversy about why and how he died and was floating in North Korean waters nearly 36 hours after his disappearance.

The South Korean Coast Guard said that based on images from surveillance cameras, military intelligence information and other data, they determined that Mr. Lee, 47 years old, once told the North Korean military that he wanted to defect.

`We confirm that North Korea has obtained personal information that only he knows, including name, age, hometown, height. This missing person also expressed his desire to go to North Korea,`

Yoon said this official surnamed Lee is in debt of $282,000, mainly due to gambling, but it is unclear whether this is the reason that motivated him to defect.

However, at today’s press conference in Seoul, Lee Rae-jin, the above official’s brother, denied the information given by the Korean Coast Guard.

Lee asserted that his brother’s death was an accident, because his brother was very proud of his work, had just been equipped with a new patrol boat and had left his civil service card on the ship, an item that could have helped him.

Lee Jae-jin, brother of the South Korean fisheries official shot dead by North Korean soldiers, spoke at a press conference today in Seoul.

Lee Rae-jin questioned the evidence obtained from intelligence information from the South Korean military, saying that North Korea may have created fake conversations on radio waves knowing clearly that the militaries of both sides regularly eavesdrop.

`Most of us older men are in debt and have problems with our families, but who would defect to North Korea because of that?`

Lee accused the South Korean military and government of missing the `golden opportunity` to save his brother’s life by refusing his request to send more ships and helicopters to search in the first hours of his brother’s disappearance, when he was missing.

Lee said only a few ships and one helicopter were mobilized to search on September 21-22.

`My brother even refused to join me in business, saying he wanted to retire as a civil servant and was proud of this,` Lee said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to the President of South Korea, apologizing for the shooting death of a fishery official by his country’s soldiers, explaining that Mr. Lee was shot because he did not provide his identity and refused to comply.

The Korean Coast Guard and Navy have expanded the search for the fishery official’s body with the participation of dozens of ships.

North Korean state media said Pyongyang is conducting its own search for the bodies of officials who were shot dead, and warned South Korean ships not to trespass into the country’s waters when searching for victims.