The state audit agency has requested the prosecution investigate 20 individuals including top security officials of the previous Moon Jae-in administration over the 2020 death of a fisheries official killed by North Korean troops in the West Sea.

Announcing the result of its inspection into the matter, the Board of Audit and Inspection(BAI) said Thursday that the previous administration intentionally distorted facts to make it appear as if Lee Dae-jun was shot while attempting to flee to the North, without any conclusive evidence.

The board also requested investigation into 20 people from five government agencies involved in the case on charges of dereliction of duty, abuse of power and falsifying official documents.

They include former national security adviser Suh Hoon, former head of the National Intelligence Service Park Jie-won, former defense minister Suh Wook and former Coast Guard chief Kim Hong-hui.

The auditor has been probing nine agencies related to the case since June. It concluded that the agencies jointly announced under orders from the national security office of Moon's presidential office that the slain official had voluntarily tried to enter the North's waters, despite a lack of evidence that supported the claims.