Yoon on Marine Corps Member's Death: "Provide Maximum Honors... Do Your Best for Search Safety" (Comprehensive)

Received Real-Time Reports of Missing and Deceased During Search for Missing Person in Yecheon-gun
Ordered On-Site Safety Rule Inspection... Marine Corps "Military Investigation Underway"

President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed his sincere condolences for the death of the late Private First Class Chae Su-geun of the Marine Corps, who was swept away by a rapid current while searching for missing persons due to heavy rain on the 20th. The government has decided to honor Private Chae as a national merit recipient.

On the same day, President Yoon said, "I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family and the Marine Corps soldiers who lost their comrade," according to a written briefing by Lee Do-woon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office. In particular, President Yoon promised, "The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident to prevent such incidents from recurring," and "We will provide the highest possible honors to the late Private Chae Su-geun as a national merit recipient."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also urged the military involved in the search for missing persons caused by heavy rain and landslides to prioritize safety. After receiving real-time reports of the disappearance and death of the Marine Corps soldier during the search around the Seokgwancheon area, President Yoon instructed the military, "Finding the missing persons is important, but please do your best to ensure safety during the search process."

Earlier, around 9 a.m. on the 19th, an accident occurred where three soldiers, including Private Chae from the 1st Division Artillery Battalion of the Marine Corps, were swept away by a rapid current while searching with probing rods in the downstream area of Seokgwancheon. They had been conducting the search alongside about 20 fellow soldiers, but some ground collapsed, causing them to fall into the water, and only Private Chae did not come out. The military and fire authorities deployed equipment such as helicopters and inflatable boats (IBS) to search for Private Chae, who was found late at night in a state of cardiac arrest about 400 meters downstream from Gopyeong Bridge in Wolpo-ri, Homyeon-myeon.

However, controversy has arisen as it was reported that soldiers assigned to search along the riverbank, like Private Chae, did not wear safety equipment, unlike those who searched using IBS during the missing persons search mission. The Marine Corps stated, "Military investigative agencies plan to investigate the cause of the accident," but public outrage continues to grow.

It has been confirmed that President Yoon also gave instructions regarding such safety regulations. A Presidential Office official said, "Although the military is investigating the cause of the accident, there will also be an inspection to ensure that safety regulations are properly observed on site," adding, "The Presidential Office is preparing separate condolence measures to comfort the bereaved family."

Earlier, after returning from a European tour last week, President Yoon has been visiting disaster recovery sites one after another to assess the situation. Following his visit to the landslide site in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk on the 17th, he visited livestock farms and agricultural households damaged by heavy rain in Chungnam on the 18th. At a livestock farm damaged by the heavy rain, President Yoon comforted the tearful owner, saying, "Do not worry. We will provide sufficient budget support to help you return to normal life," and encouraged the military personnel by saying, "It smells bad, but our soldiers are working hard." To residents requesting help on site, he said, "Our government maintains tight fiscal discipline to use money in times like this," and added, "The government should naturally support residents affected by disasters in their recovery efforts."

The day before, 13 local governments nationwide affected by the heavy rain were first declared special disaster zones. This special disaster zone declaration was made three days after the government formed an emergency investigation team to start damage assessment and two days after President Yoon returned and urged prompt damage investigation and follow-up measures. Typically, the declaration of a special disaster zone takes about two weeks, as it involves damage assessment by local governments, review by the Central Safety Management Committee (chaired by the Prime Minister), recommendation by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Chief (Minister of the Interior and Safety), and then presidential proclamation. However, this time it proceeded unusually quickly. The Presidential Office explained that this swift decision was the result of President Yoon’s continuous attention to the situation, issuing response instructions related to the heavy rain during his Eastern European tour and ordering follow-up measures for the special disaster zone declaration at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting and Cabinet meeting after his return.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.