South Korea acquits former officials of tampering in case of man slain by North Korean troops

SEOUL - A South Korean court on Friday acquitted five former government officials accused of manipulating facts in a case from 2020 where a fisheries official was killed at sea by North Korean troops.

The Seoul Central District Court cited a "lack of evidence" against the officials, who served in former President Moon Jae-in's administration and included ex-national security advisor Suh Hoon, and returned a verdict of not guilty.

The officials claimed before the trial that fisheries official Lee Dae-jun, who was shot dead by North Korean troops, had sought to defect to the North due to gambling debts, mental health issues and an unhappy life. 

Lee's family refuted the allegations. 

"The evidence submitted by the prosecutor alone is insufficient to admit that (the defendants) were trying to steer the matter to make it look like a defection to North Korea" beyond a reasonable doubt, the lower court said in a statement. 

It was not immediately clear if prosecutors would appeal. The five officials had been on trial since 2022.

Joyce Lee/Reuters