Seoul, Sep 26 Seoul will demand North Korea for an additional probe into the killing of a South Korean official near the sea border, the presidential office here said on Saturday.
According to the South Korean military, North Korean troops on September 22 shot the 47-year-old official who was adrift in its waters and incinerated his body. He was reported missing the previous day while on duty near the Yellow Sea border island of Yeonpyeong.
Although North Korea admitted to killing the official, they have denied burning the body, reports Yonhap news Agency.
In a statement, the presidential office said that after holding a National Security Council (NSC) session late Friday, the Seoul government has decided to demand the additional investigation and request a joint probe if necessary.
"As there exist differences between North Korea's explanation and our intelligence analysis, we decided to continue our investigation into the incident to reveal the truth," Yonhap quoted the office statement as saying.
It also vowed to "swiftly take steps to further heighten a surveillance posture in the Yellow Sea to prevent such an incident from happening again."
Till date, North Korea has not accepted Seoul's call for a joint probe into similar cases, including the death of Park Wang-ja, who was shot at the North's mountain resort of Kumgang in July 2008.
( With inputs from IANS )
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