The family of Senior Sergeant Lee Jae-seok (34) of the Korea Coast Guard, who died in the line of duty last month while rescuing an elderly person stranded on tidal flats alone, filed a complaint with prosecutors against three Korea Coast Guard officials under investigation over the case.
On the 31st at around 1 p.m., the family of Senior Sergeant Lee submitted a complaint to the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office against three Korea Coast Guard officials — former Incheon Korea Coast Guard chief Lee Gwang-jin, the former Yeongheung police substation chief, and the former Yeongheung police substation on-duty Head of Team — on charges including occupational negligence resulting in death, dereliction of duty, and abuse of authority.
Jang Si-won, the managing attorney at Law Office Yeo-un retained by the family, said, "The aim is to urge a thorough investigation not only into the detained Head of Team but also the former Incheon Korea Coast Guard chief and the former Yeongheung police substation chief," adding, "We filed complaints against all of them under the same charges on the premise that they are all accomplices."
Jang added, "A complainant can be notified of the investigation results and raise an objection," and said, "We decided to file the complaint to exercise the rights of a complainant if an unjust outcome emerges."
Senior Sergeant Lee was dispatched alone at about 2:07 a.m. on the 11th on a report that "a person is sitting on the tidal flats." After confirming a Chinese national in their 70s stranded on the flats, Lee handed over a life jacket and attempted a rescue, but was swept away by the incoming tide and went missing at about 3:27 a.m., roughly an hour later. Lee was found dead at about 9:41 a.m., about six hours later.
At the time of the incident, Senior Sergeant Lee was on duty with six people in total, but four, except for Lee and the Head of Team, were reportedly resting.
The special investigation team at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office handling the Korea Coast Guard line-of-duty death case has detained and is currently investigating Inspector A, who was the on-duty Head of Team at the time, on charges including occupational negligence resulting in death. Inspector A did not wake other colleagues and, despite first suggesting reporting to higher authorities, the actual report was made about an hour later.
The former Korea Coast Guard chief and the former Yeongheung police substation chief are under investigation over allegations that they instructed Yeongheung police substation staff to keep quiet about the accident after it happened. The special investigation team plans to decide whether to indict them by the 3rd of next month, before Inspector A's detention period ends.