The state audit agency has launched an investigation into the previous Moon Jae-in administration's handling of the death of a fisheries ministry official at the hands of the North Korean military near the western sea border in September 2020.

The Board of Audit and Inspection said on Friday that it plans to closely inspect the initial reporting process and procedure by the Coast Guard and the defense ministry to verify whether they were carried out legally and appropriately.

The Coast Guard and the defense ministry at the time had concluded that the official had attempted to defect to the North before he was shot to death and his body incinerated by North Korean soldiers.

On Thursday, both the Coast Guard and the defense ministry apologized separately for making such an assumption, which was based on the fact that the official had incurred gambling debt.

The Coast Guard reversed its earlier conclusion, stating that it had not found any evidence suggesting that the official had tried to defect.