The Marine Corps special prosecutor's office is summoning and investigating former Director General Kim Dong-hyuk, who led the investigation into Colonel Park Jeong-hoon, on the 17th.
According to the legal community, the former Director General appeared as a suspect in the office of the Marine Corps special prosecutor's team led by Lee Myung-hyun in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on the afternoon of the same day, facing charges of obstructing the exercise of rights through abuse of authority. He has been present at the special prosecutor's office for three consecutive days from the 15th to this day, after receiving his first questioning on the 13th.
The former Director General is suspected of illegally retrieving the case records of Private Chae from the Gyeongbuk Police Agency without a search warrant and exerting external pressure during the review process of the Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters.
The Ministry of National Defense investigation headquarters, which is responsible for reviewing the case, reduced the number of suspects from the existing eight to two regarding the professional negligence resulting in the death of Private Chae and handed them over to the police. Former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun was excluded from being a suspect in this process. The former Director General has led the military prosecution's intensive investigation into Marine Corps investigation Commander Park Jeong-hoon, and he is also suspected of conducting targeted investigations against Colonel Park.
The arrest warrant requested by the military prosecution included false facts that Colonel Park attempted to destroy evidence, raising suspicions that the former Director General was involved in the warrant application.
Meanwhile, it has been investigated that the former Director General had closely communicated with lawyer Ko Seok, known as a close aide to former President Yoon Suk-yeol, during the investigation of Colonel Park. Lawyer Ko is a peer of former President Yoon from the judicial examination and training school, and both he and the former Director General are alumni of the Army Academy.
The special prosecutor's team suspects that the former Director General may have conducted an intensive investigation under the instructions of superiors, including former President Yoon. During the first questioning on the 13th, the former Director General told reporters, "The investigation was a decision I made entirely," and added, "I will take full responsibility for everything."