The Special Prosecutor for the deceased Marine disclosed on the 21st that they are separately verifying circumstances regarding the involvement of the Protestant community in the 'rescue lobbying suspicion' related to former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun.
On that afternoon, Special Prosecutor Jeong Min-young noted in a briefing, 'We are separately verifying the possibility that the Protestant community was used as a channel in the rescue lobbying.'
Previously, the Special Prosecutor's team had captured indications of involvement by the Protestant community in the rescue lobbying suspicion regarding former Commander Lim on the 18th and had carried out searches at the home of Pastor Kim Jang-hwan and at the Yeouido Full Gospel Church.
The 'rescue lobbying suspicion' is an allegation that individuals from the 'stylish Marine' KakaoTalk group chat, including Lee Jong-ho, the former head of Black Pearl Investments, who is a key figure in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case, engaged in lobbying to rescue former Commander Lim.
Additionally, Special Prosecutor Jeong stated, 'We are also investigating the rescue lobbying suspicion through individuals like the former CEO Lee.'
Meanwhile, former Commander Lim is facing allegations (criminal negligence resulting in death) for deploying Marine Corps members to a rescue operation without providing safety equipment such as life jackets and ropes, which led to the death of one member during a search operation for victims of heavy rain in the Yecheon area of North Gyeongsang Province in July 2023.