The Special Prosecutor for the Marine Corps said on the 5th that it received records of private phone calls between former President Yoon Suk-yeol, former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop, and former National Security Office Chief Cho Tae-yong from the Presidential Security Service.
Special Prosecutor Min-young Jeong noted at a regular briefing on the morning of the same day, "The Special Prosecutor's Office has recently received the records of private phone calls from former President Yoon, former Minister Lee, and former Chief Cho from July to August 2023."
The Special Prosecutor received the private phone records to clarify the 'VIP rage theory.' The VIP rage theory relates to the case of Marine Corps Corporal Chae Soo-geun, who died while on duty in 2023. The Marine Corps Investigation Team that conducted the initial investigation concluded that former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun should be charged with negligent homicide. However, this information was reported to former President Yoon Suk-yeol in a meeting at the presidential office on July 31, 2023, leading him to be enraged, after which the investigation results were altered, according to the VIP rage theory.
Additionally, the Special Prosecutor said that there is one private phone belonging to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, which has been used until recently. Earlier, the Special Prosecutor had stated on the 1st that it had secured the actual private phone and communication records of the First Lady.
Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor stated at the briefing that it plans to summon former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun as a suspect in the allegations of negligent homicide and other charges for questioning at 10 a.m. on the 7th. This will be the second round of questioning following the first on the 2nd of last month.
Former Commander Lim is facing allegations of issuing underwater search directives without providing life jackets and other safety equipment during a search operation for submerged missing persons in the Naeseongcheon area of Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, in July 2023, which led to the death of Corporal Chae.
There are also allegations that during Corporal Chae's death, the former Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan reported to superiors that the cause of the incident was 'because the embankment collapsed.'