Choe Deok-geun
Choe Deok-geun
Hangul
최덕근
Hanja
Revised RomanizationChoe Deok-geun
McCune–ReischauerDeok-geun Choi

Choe Deok-geun (Korean: 최덕근; November 2, 1942 – 1 October 1996), also spelled Choi Duck-keun or Choi Duk-gun, was a South Korean consular official for the Russian Far East who was believed to have been assassinated by poison in October 1996.[1][2]

Biography

Cheo was born in Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.

Vladivostok was a popular destination for North Koreans working for or fleeing their government.[3] The DPRK held a consulate in nearby Nakhodka.[4] Choe's diplomatic work officially involved him acting as a consul of arts and culture, though it was later reported he was investigating counterfeiting and drug trafficking by North Koreans.[5]

Assassination

Though the official cause of Choe's death was listed as bludgeoning, he had damage to his skull as well as two pencil-sized holes on his torso which suggested injection of a foreign substance into his body.[3] The injection is believed to have contained neostigmine bromide.[4] When his corpse was discovered, he still had $1,200 cash in his pocket.[3]

It emerged soon after that he had poison in his bloodstream of the same type as that carried by a North Korean submarine which had infiltrated South Korean waters and landed near Gangneung, Gangwon the previous month; North Korea had threatened to retaliate for the killings of their special forces agents by the South Korean Army.[6] North Korea denied all involvement and accused the South of fabricating evidence in order to frame the North.[7] Some news reports at the time suggested that the North Koreans had hired a Russian Mafia hitman to actually carry out the murder.[8]

2 or 3 assailants participated.[2][5][9]

Aftermath

Russia's 2 year long investigation concluded Choe was killed in an act of random violence. The South Korean government maintains its disagreement with this conclusion.[10]

As a result of his death, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade allegedly instructed their personnel to refrain from contacting with or providing assistance to North Koreans in Russia, even refugees, for fear that they too could be murdered.[11] Some analysts believe that the North Korean government chose to delay announcing their 24 August arrest and detention of American citizen Evan Hunziker until around the time of Choe's murder in an attempt to divert attention.[12]

In 2011, the government requested Russia open a renewed investigation into the killing.[13]

No murderer has ever been accused in Choe's death.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Bu, Hyeong-gwon (2004-09-21), "盧-푸틴 정상회담: 한-러 '외교 악연' 이젠 끊길까/Roh-Putin Ministerial Meeting: Stopping the decline of Korea-Russia relations?", Donga Ilbo, retrieved 2007-06-01
  2. 1 2 Yi, Su-hyeong (December 1996), "'최영사 피살'범인은 역시 북한？/North Korea was the criminal in the "Choe Deok-gun murder"?", Donga Ilbo Magazine, retrieved 2007-06-01 (States that Choi was 44 at the time of his death)
  3. 1 2 3 Bertil, Lintner (2002), Blood Brothers: Crime, Business, and Politics in Asia, Allen and Unwin, pp. 213–214, ISBN 1-86508-419-0
  4. 1 2 TONG-HYUNG, KIM. "Other mysterious deaths of North Korea's perceived enemies". Standard-Times. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  5. 1 2 "Russia asked to reinvestigate 1996 murder of SK diplomat". 동아일보. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  6. ↑ Dies, Harry P. Jr. (October–December 2004), "North Korean Special Operations Forces: 1996 Kangnung submarine infiltration", Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, retrieved 2007-06-01
  7. ↑ "North Korea denies murdering diplomat", CNN, 1996-10-04, retrieved 2007-06-01
  8. ↑ Jeong, Hoe-sang (1996-10-17), "최덕근 영사, 러시아 마피아가 살해했다?/Consul Choe Deok-geun, killed by the Russian Mafia?", Sisa Journal, retrieved 2007-06-01
  9. ↑ "1996 Global Terrorism: App. A Chron of Terrorist Incidents". irp.fas.org. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  10. ↑ "Russia Concludes Korean Murder Investigation". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2003-01-04. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  11. ↑ "North Korean refugees in Trouble", The Chosun Ilbo, 1999-12-13, archived from the original on 2005-02-09, retrieved 2007-06-01
  12. ↑ Efron, Sonni (1996-10-08), "North's Arrest of American Deepens Freeze in Korea", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 2009-06-08
  13. ↑ "Russia asked to reinvestigate 1996 murder of SK diplomat". 동아일보. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  14. ↑ "Russia asked to reinvestigate 1996 murder of SK diplomat". 동아일보. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
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