Military Prosecutors Retrieve Investigation Details on Marine Corps Private Chaesangbyeong

Marine Corps Investigation Unit Chief Removed from Position for Unauthorized Disclosure of Materials

The Military Prosecutor's Office has retrieved the investigation records related to the death of the late Corporal Chae Su-geun from the police. The reason given was that the materials handed over contained the opinion of the Marine Corps investigation commander rather than objective facts. The Marine Corps investigation commander was dismissed from his post for transferring the investigation records to the police without following the Ministry of National Defense's orders.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency and the Ministry of National Defense on the 3rd, Colonel A, the Marine Corps investigation commander, handed over all records related to Corporal Chae's death to the police on the 2nd, but the Military Prosecutor's Office soon requested their return. Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan dismissed Colonel A from his post on the same day the records were retrieved.

A military official explained the reason for the dismissal, stating, "The military must transfer only objective facts within the scope that does not influence the police investigation, but Colonel A disobeyed the orders of the Ministry of National Defense and the Marine Corps Commander and submitted materials based on his own arbitrary judgment."

The Military Prosecutor's Office views Colonel A's actions as 'insubordination,' including disobedience to superior orders and unauthorized conduct, and has initiated an investigation into this breach of military discipline.

The Marine Corps had announced a media briefing on the circumstances of Corporal Chae's death on the 31st of last month but abruptly canceled it. The police reported that the reason given by the military prosecutors for retrieving the records was the Marine Corps' 'violation of military discipline.'

The police plan to take over the case after reviewing the Marine Corps' violation of military discipline and investigate whether there is any criminal suspicion related to Corporal Chae's death. According to the Military Court Act revised last year, the authority to investigate criminal charges in cases of military personnel deaths lies with the police.

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