Former National Intelligence Service chief Cho Tae-yong appeared at the Marine Corps special investigation team as a suspect on the 29th. He is facing allegations of abusing his authority to exert pressure in the investigation of the death of Private Cha.
On that day, Cho arrived at the Marine Corps special investigation team's office in Seocho-dong, Seoul, around 9:20 a.m. He responded to reporters' questions, including whether former President Yoon Suk-yeol was enraged after receiving the investigation results into the Marine Corps case and what directives the president gave afterward, by saying, "I will undergo the investigation sincerely," before entering the investigation room.
The Marine Corps special investigation team announced in a briefing on the 28th that it plans to investigate overall how the initial investigation results of Private Cha's death were reported to former President Yoon Suk-yeol, his reaction to the report, what directives he issued, and how those directives affected the investigation outcome.
Cho became a subject of investigation in the process of the special investigation team's inquiry into the theory of the 'VIP's rage.' This theory suggests that former President Yoon was enraged after receiving the investigation results into Private Cha's death at a presidential secretary meeting on July 31, 2023, at 11 a.m., and subsequently, former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop allegedly instructed a sudden media briefing and to withhold the police handover.
It was investigated that Cho spoke separately with former Defense Secretary Im Gi-hoon after that meeting.