ROK soldiers patrol along a barbed wire fence in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), on the island of Ganghwa on April 23, 2020. (ED JONES / AFP)

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said the shooting death of a man from the Republic of Korea (ROK) in its waters last month was a self-defensive measure amid concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus, state media reported on Friday.

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The DPRK troops shot dead a ROK fisheries official who went missing in late September, before dousing his body in oil and setting it on fire, ROK military have said.

Seoul has called for a joint investigation after Pyongyang said it burned a floatation device he was using, not his body, amid public and political outrage.

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