The defense ministry says it will consider whether to release documents from the former Moon Jae-in administration's presidential office regarding a fisheries official killed by the North Korean military near the western sea border in 2020.

Deputy spokesperson Moon Hong-sik said on Monday that the ministry will decide on the release after collecting opinions from relevant ministries and agencies.

The ruling People Power Party's(PPP) task force investigating the case said earlier that any such presidential document received by a government ministry or agency, specifically referencing the interior ministry, is not considered a presidential record and therefore can be publicly released.

Earlier this month, the Coast Guard and the defense ministry under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration apologized for publicly asserting shortly after his death in September 2020 that the official, Lee Dae-jun, sought to defect after incurring gambling debt.

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

The defense ministry also revealed that it had, at the time, received guidance on handling the case from the National Security Office under the former Moon administration.