Missing police guard on Dokdo found dead

DOKDO, South Korea, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean police officer who went
missing on the nation's easternmost islets of Dokdo while on duty was found dead
on Wednesday, the police said.

The 30-year-old communications officer, identified only by his surname Lee, was
found around 10 a.m. at the bottom of a man-made cliff, they said. He began his
guard duty early Tuesday morning but was later found to have gone missing.
He was presumed to have died from an accidental fall, according to the police.
Authorities said they plan to conduct an autopsy to verify the cause of death.
Dokdo, which lies just 90 kilometers east of South Korea's Ulleung Island in the
East Sea, has frequently been the focus of international media coverage due to
Japan's territorial claim to the rocky outcrops. The closest Japanese territory
of Oki Island in Shimane Prefecture is more than 160 kilometers away from Dokdo.
Since 1954, the South Korean government has stationed a small contingent on Dokdo
as a symbol of its ownership of the rocky islets. Currently, about 50 police
officers who belong to the Ulleung Island Security Force are stationed on Dokdo
for security purposes.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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