Inquiry faults defense chief over sea clash

A special investigation team under the Ministry of National Defense reportedly concluded that Defense Minister Kim Dong-shin was partially responsible for intelligence failures before a naval clash between South Korean and North Korean naval vessels in the Yellow Sea last June.

A senior ministry official said Sunday that the ministry could not confirm whether Mr. Kim, who has been replacced, ordered some parts of the daily intelligence reports deleted on June 14, about two weeks before the battle. The intelligence report was compiled by Lieutenant General Chung Hyeong-jin, a senior intelligence officer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Investigators said Mr. Kim severely reprimanded Mr. Chung for the report, which alerted the military of a possible North Korean attack. Mr. Chung then called a meeting of senior intelligence officials, who later changed the report to conclude that the repeated violations of the Northern Limit Line by North Korean boats were not significant.

The team concluded that Mr. Kim's reprimand of Mr. Chung likely influenced the decision by the National Intelligence Bureau to play down the reports of a possible military provocation by the North, but they could find no evidence that he ordered the change.

by Kim Min-seok