3 ex-officials appeal to top court over 2019 deportation of N. Koreans

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- Three former government officials Tuesday appealed an appellate ruling sentencing them to suspended prison terms for forcibly repatriating two North Korean fishermen in 2019, taking the case to the Supreme Court, sources said.

Last week, the Seoul High Court upheld a lower court's guilty verdicts for Chung Eui-yong, former national security adviser; former National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon; and former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul.

All three served in former President Moon Jae-in's administration in November 2019, when Seoul deported two North Korean fishermen back to North Korea after they were captured near the eastern maritime border. The fishermen had been accused of killing 16 crew members.

A lower court found all three former officials guilty but deferred their sentencing.

The appellate court sentenced Chung and Suh to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, and Kim to a one-year prison term suspended for two years, ruling they violated the basic rights of the fishermen by repatriating them back to their communist homeland.

Those who attempt to defect from North Korea are often said to face severe punishment, ranging from torture to death, when they are caught or sent back to the North.

The court noted the decision to forcibly repatriate the fishermen was made just two days after their capture, while the deportation took place just days later despite a government official voicing the need for careful consideration.