Marine Chae Sang-byeong's Family "Doubts About Truth Investigation"

"Uncomfortable Feelings Over Police Referral"

The bereaved family expressed strong doubts about whether a proper fact-finding investigation would be conducted regarding the case of the late Corporal Chae Su-geun, who died in the line of duty after being swept away by a rapid current while searching for missing persons during heavy rain.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 4th, Corporal Chae’s parents stated in a press release sent to the Ministry of National Defense press corps, "The Marine Corps Investigation Unit explained the results of their internal investigation last Friday and said they would soon transfer the case to the police. We, the bereaved family, trusted the Marine Corps’ investigation results and decided to calmly await the subsequent police investigation."

They continued, "However, after recently encountering a series of related media reports about the police transfer of our son Su-geun’s case, we, the directly involved bereaved family, feel uncomfortable."

Corporal Chae’s parents said, "We cannot help but harbor doubts about whether the truth behind Su-geun’s sacrifice will be properly uncovered, and if so, whether the strong preventive measures we hoped for can be established without a proper understanding of the cause of the accident."

They added, "We hope that the issues within the Ministry of National Defense and the Marine Corps are unrelated to the genuine will to uncover the substantive truth about the cause of the accident," and urged, "Please thoroughly investigate the truth, establish proper measures, and ensure their firm implementation so that even as time passes and commanders change, such incidents never happen again."

Earlier, on the 2nd, the Marine Corps Investigation Unit handed over to the police the results of their internal investigation, which included allegations of negligent homicide against eight individuals, including Im Seong-geun, commander of the 1st Marine Division where Corporal Chae served, and Park Sang-hyun, commander of the 7th Brigade of the 1st Division who led the flood recovery operation.

In response, Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan suspended and dismissed Colonel A, the head of the investigation unit, from his post citing "disobedience of orders," and the Ministry of National Defense prosecution team launched an investigation into Colonel A and others on charges of "insubordination." The Ministry of National Defense also recalled the materials submitted to the police.

During this process, allegations arose that the Ministry of National Defense instructed that Im Seong-geun, commander of the 1st Marine Division, and Park Sang-hyun, commander of the 7th Brigade, be excluded from suspects, raising suspicions of investigation downscaling.

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