South Korea court acquits ex-officials over border killing; controversial case comes to a close after five years

Suh Hoon, former national security chief under ex-President Moon Jae-in, speaks to reporters as he leaves after a trial related to the killing of a fisheries official near the inter-Korean sea border in 2020, at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on Dec 26, 2025. -- Photo: AFP/Jung Yeon-je

SEOUL (AFP) - A South Korean court acquitted a former national security adviser and other senior officials on Friday after they were accused of trying to cover up a murder to appease Pyongyang.

Fisheries official Lee Dae-jun was reportedly fatally shot in 2020 by North Korean soldiers near the de facto maritime border, and his body was later burned by Pyongyang.