S.Korean court issues arrest warrants for former security leaders over official slain by North

FILE PHOTO: Lee Rae-jin, the older brother of a South Korean fisheries official who was fatally shot and burned at sea by North Korean soldiers in 2020, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Ansan, South Korea, August 8, 2022. To match Insight SOUTHKOREA-NORTHKOREA/KILLING REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean court on Saturday issued arrest warrants for a former defence minister and a former coast guard chief over their alleged mishandling of the death of a state fishery ministry employee at the hands of North Korean troops two years ago.

The decision by the Seoul Central District Court, which cited risks of them fleeing or destroying evidence, came days after the prosecutors on Tuesday filed for arrest warrants and follows an investigation by the government that showed previously unpublished details about the final moments of the fisheries official Lee Dae-jin.