The Marine Corps Special Investigation Unit announced that it plans to summon former 7th Battalion Commander Lee Yong-min for questioning on the 28th. The former commander is the individual who led the search operation for missing persons in the area of Bombun Bridge, where Corporal Chae Su-geun fell into the water.
On the 27th, Special Investigator Jeong Min-young said in a morning briefing, "We will investigate the circumstances under which Marines were deployed to the search operation without life jackets or safety equipment through the questioning of the former commander."
Corporal Chae went missing while conducting a search for missing persons in the area of Bombun Bridge in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, which was affected by heavy rainfall, on July 19, 2023, and was found dead the next day. The Special Investigation Unit is currently investigating allegations that there were excessive orders from commanders, including the former battalion commander, during the search process at that time, and that former 1st Marine Division Commander Lim Sung-keun is involved.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Unit is conducting the fourth witness interrogation of Colonel Park Jeong-hun from this morning. Colonel Park is the individual who led the initial investigation into the Marine incident that resulted in fatalities in July 2023 as the head of the Marine Investigation Unit. However, on the 31st of the same month, then-Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan was indicted for insubordination after he insisted on forwarding the case to the police despite being instructed to withhold it.
The order to withhold the transfer was issued following a meeting at the presidential office, which sparked speculation about VIP anger. The VIP anger speculation suggests that former President Yoon Suk-yeol became furious after receiving a report on the investigation results of Corporal Chae's case during a meeting at the presidential office at 11 a.m. on July 31, 2023, and criticized then-Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop over the phone, leading to the withholding of the police transfer and altering the investigation results.