Kim Yong-tae, the nominee for the People Power Party's emergency response committee, on the 12th searched for missing persons during the heavy rainfall in 2023 and paid respects at the grave of Corporal Chae, a Marine who died in the line of duty.
On the same day, Kim visited the National Daejeon Cemetery with candidate Kim Moon-soo, paid respects to the fallen of the Second Yeonpyeong Sea Battle, the Yeonpyeong Bombardment, and the 46 souls of the Cheonan, and then visited Corporal Chae's grave alone.
Immediately after paying respects, Kim stated in a message to the media, "It has been about 2 years since Corporal Chae was involved in the incident," and noted, "Sadly, the cause of the accident has been revealed, but the external pressure on the investigation has still not been disclosed."
He continued, "I apologize for what happened under the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration and will work to ensure that the People Power Party can uncover this external pressure on the investigation."
In June of last year, during his tenure as an emergency committee member, Kim also urged regarding the suspicions surrounding the handling of Corporal Chae's death, saying, "A convincing explanation is needed for the public," and requested that the Ministry of National Defense and the presidential office resolve this issue.
Earlier, Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate for the People Power Party, visited the National Daejeon Cemetery on the same day to honor national benefactors, fallen soldiers in the Second Yeonpyeong Sea Battle and the Yeonpyeong Bombardment, as well as the 46 souls of the Cheonan and the grave of Chief Warrant Officer Han Jun-ho.
However, he did not visit Corporal Chae's grave. Candidate Kim stated, "I paid respects to only a few of the fallen in the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong battles," and expressed, "I feel sorry for not being able to pay respects individually."