From JMcDona@fcref.org
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 11:44:58 -0400
From: Jamie McDonald 
To: "'moogoonghwa@UCSD.EDU'" 
Subject: RE: Capture of Lee

>----------
>From: 	Korea Information & Resource Center/Korea
>Report[SMTP:kirc@igc.apc.org]
>Sent: 	Tuesday, September 24, 1996 9:48 AM
>To: 	moogoonghwa@UCSD.EDU; wharms@soback.kornet.nm.kr
>Cc: 	kirc@igc.org
>Subject: 	Re:  Capture of Lee
>
>1) How can SKG be sure that 11 men are executed, and not mass suicide, 
>since there was no "eyewitness" when this happened? Just because 
>bullets came from the back does not automatically mean that they were 
>"executed."

I've been reading the Korea Herald and Reuters reports exhaustively
since the incident occured, and nowhere have I heard that the ROK has
officially declared the 11 deaths "executions."  I've read several
accounts saying that that is what they presume happened, but there has
ben nothing definitive that I know of.  Perhaps you can provide us with
a source...

>2) The fugitives are portrayed as highly-trained and well-adapted to 
>rigorous mountain survival skills, with food supplies in their 
>backpack. Then why did one ask a villager for food and salt? Why did he
>
>reveal his identity and said "I want to go home to the fatherland"? 

You forget that not all of those ashore were agents.  Some were crew on
the sub.  And even the most well-trained agent can panic in a situation.
>
>3) AnROK Army division is mobilized on this "operation", aided by 
>police, reserve forces. Yet these five men are still not captured.

Hardly surprising.  What are they supposed to look for with their
satellites?  Korean men with dirty clothes?  Heat patterns?  What?
The only thing that sounds promising is this report that PDRK is making
"radio contact" with them two to five times a day.  If the NKoreans are
responding by radio, then it shouldn't be too hard to triangulate and
track them down.  Otherwise all they can do is find out where the PDRK
government is broadcasting from.
>
>4) It appears, from tv coverage on the "operation", that ROK soldiers 
>are randomly shooting at anything that moves, even at night, aided with
>
>flares. A civilian harvesting mushrooms in thr mountains was shot to 
>death for mistaken identity. Are there no attempts to capture these 
>fugitives alive and find out what their mission was?

It doesn't sound like PDRK forces are exactly stopping and throwing down
their guns when ROK forces yell "freeze!"  There was a curfew in effect
at the time the man was shot; he was disobeying it -- this seems
foolish, and so I'm not surprised he was shot.  The incident is highly
regrettable, but perhaps we should reserve judgement until we know the
whole story.

In general, you seem to have decided that the ROK government is patently
wrong in all issues.  I'm not sure from where your bias stems, but it
certainly shows in your opinions.

Jamie
>
>
>





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