Special prosecutor indicts former president in military scandal

The special prosecutor investigating the death of Marine Corps Sergeant Chae and allegations of interference in the case, Lee Myung-hyun, referred 12 people to trial on Nov. 21, including former President Yoon Suk-yeol and former Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop. The move comes two years and four months after Sergeant Chae’s death and 142 days after the special prosecutor launched the investigation.

The special prosecutor said former President Yoon was indicted without detention on charges including abuse of authority and falsification of official documents related to the alleged interference. Alongside Yoon, the prosecutor referred former Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, former National Security Office chief Cho Tae-yong, former Deputy Defense Minister Shin Beom-cheol, former Defense Policy Office chief Heo Tae-geun, former Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-gyu, former military advisor Park Jin-hee, former legal affairs officer Yoo Jae-eun, former planning and management officer Yoo Gyun-hye, Defense Ministry prosecution chief Kim Dong-hyuk, former Marine Corps commander Kim Gye-hwan, and Defense Ministry organizational oversight officer Lee Mo to trial.

The special prosecutor explained the indictment, stating that Yoon Suk-yeol instructed the exclusion of former Marine Corps 1st Division commander Lim Seong-geun from the list of suspects, which undermined the fairness and independence of the military police investigation. According to the prosecutor, on July 31, 2023, after receiving a report on the Marine Corps investigation into Sergeant Chae’s death, Yoon reportedly expressed anger to his aides, saying, “If the division commander is punished over this, who would want to serve as a division commander?”

The prosecutor concluded that Yoon attempted to conceal and downplay the case by withholding or recalling investigation records that were to be transferred to the police. Special Prosecutor Deputy Jeong Min-young said at a briefing, “This case constitutes a serious abuse of power by those in authority.” With the investigation period set to expire on Nov. 28, the prosecutor plans to soon decide on related cases, including allegations that former Defense Minister Lee fled to Australia.


여근호기자 yeoroot@donga.com