Prosecutors on Thursday summoned former defense minister Suh Wook to question him on the former Moon Jae-in administration's alleged mishandling of a case involving a fisheries official shot dead by the North Korean military in 2020.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office is expected to focus on allegations that the Moon government attempted to cover up the death of the late Lee Dae-jun near the western maritime border.

The presidential office and defense ministry under the Moon administration are suspected of manipulating the investigation to make it seem as if the deceased official had attempted to defect at the time of the shooting.

The deceased official's family has filed a complaint against the former defense chief, accusing him of ordering classified military intelligence to be deleted from the incident.

This is the first time that the prosecution has summoned a minister-level official in relation to the case.

After wrapping up an ongoing raid of the Presidential Archives, prosecutors are expected to summon former National Intelligence Service(NIS) chiefs Suh Hoon and Park Jie-won for questioning.