Former national security adviser Suh Hoon, who was arrested about four months ago over alleged irregularities surrounding the 2020 death of a South Korean fisheries official at the hands of North Korea, was granted bail by a court Monday.
The Seoul Central District Court approved Suh's application for bail on condition that he pays a deposit of 150 million won (US$114,000) and stays in his registered residence. He was also ordered to obtain the court's permission before leaving his residence or going on an overseas trip.
Suh, who served as director of the National Security Office during the previous Moon Jae-in presidency, was arrested and indicted last December on charges related to the death of the fisheries official, who was fatally shot by the North's military on Sept. 22, 2020, near the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea, after going missing the previous day while on duty on board a fishery inspection boat.
Suh was indicted for his alleged involvement in the Moon government's controversial conclusion that the fisheries official was killed while attempting to defect to the North. Suh was also suspected of ordering key government officials to delete internal intelligence reports running counter to the conclusion.
The 70-year-old Suh, who has denied all the charges against him, claimed in his bail application that he was suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
Source: Yonhap News Agency