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Oct. 22 (UPI) -- South Korea's former defense minister and the head of its coast guard were arrested Saturday, accused of botching an investigation into the death of a fisheries official in 2020. A South Korean court issued arrest warrants Friday for former Defense Minister Suh Wook and former Coast Guard Commissioner Gen. Kim Hong-hee, saying both men posed a flight risk. It also cited the possibility the two would destroy evidence if not detained.
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The two former officials are accused of mishandling a probe into the death of the fisheries official while serving in the government of former President Moon Jae-in.
In September 2020, North Korea fatally shot a missing South Korean fisheries official and burned his body. The 47-year-old victim went missing while on an inspection boat patrolling waters roughly 6 miles south of the Northern Limit Line -- the disputed maritime boundary between the two Koreas.
His death led to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un apologizing for the killing, saying he was "very sorry" in a formal notice sent to Seoul.
A South Korean investigation at the time concluded the man had been attempting to defect to North Korea. Prosecutors now dispute that as the cause, accusing the former officials of badly mishandling the investigation and reaching a predetermined conclusion.
South Korea's government retracted the comment in June this year, saying there was no evidence to support the defection claim. The country's opposition party has dismissed the idea since shortly after the incident.
Prosecutors now say the two former military officials lied, filed false reports, withheld evidence and deleted government records while attempting to cover up the truth during the investigation.
They also stand accused of failing to launch a timely rescue attempt following the shooting and after learning the man was adrift in the ocean. The victim was left to float for six hours before being pulled from the water.
Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has expanded an investigation into the incident since being elected in March.
