Prosecutors clear former officials in West Sea official shooting case

South Korean prosecutors have issued non-indictment decisions for several former high-ranking officials involved in the investigation of the West Sea official shooting case. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced that former Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min and former Unification Minister Lee In-young were cleared of charges regarding the destruction of public electronic records due to insufficient evidence.

Former Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee also received a non-indictment decision, though her case was dismissed (gak-ha). Additionally, former Korea Coast Guard Commissioner Kim Hong-hee was cleared of charges of obstruction of justice and abuse of power due to insufficient evidence, while charges of falsifying official documents were dismissed as there was no right to prosecute.

The case stems from the September 2020 death of Lee Dae-jun, a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official shot by North Korean forces. The deceased's family had filed complaints alleging that officials conspired to delete intelligence reports and manipulate the investigation to suggest the official had defected to the North. This follows previous non-indictment decisions for former President Moon Jae-in and other key officials, as well as final court rulings that acquitted several primary figures of all charges.