Brother of man slain by North Korea to meet with families of Japanese abductees

Lee Rae-jin, the older brother of the fisheries official killed by North Korea, speaks to The Korea Herald during an interview in April 2022. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)

The older brother of Lee Dae-jun, a fisheries official killed by North Korean troops at sea in September 2020, is on a two-day trip to Japan from Friday to meet with families of Japanese who were abducted by North Korea.

The brother, Lee Rae-jin, told The Korea Herald on Friday that he hoped the meeting with Japanese families would be a new opportunity for a joint response to human rights violations perpetrated by North Korea.

“In Korea and Japan the pain the families (of victims) shares is the same. I think the more of us come together, the louder our voices can be,” he said.

He said the discussions he would have with other families of victims “could give way to new solutions and ideas” as they seek to find justice.

“This is the second time I am visiting the victims outside of South Korea since I met with the parents of Mr. Otto Warmbier in the US last year,” he said.

He said by coming together, it allowed the families “to begin to not only heal but proactively seek out solutions.”

“My family is determined not to grieve in silence. We are committed to find justice for my late brother, and it gives me courage to know that I am not alone in this fight.”

The late fisheries official drifted into the North Korean side of the marine border after going missing during a patrol duty on Sept. 21, 2020. The next day he was seized by North Korean soldiers, who shot him dead and then burned his body.

Former top officials, including then-national security chief Suh Hoon, is currently under trial for alleged attempts to cover up the circumstances surrounding official’s death, more specifically failures in early government response after he was discovered in North Korean waters.

By Kim Arin(arin@heraldcorp.com)