Kim Byung-joo "Suspicions of External Pressure in Chae Sang-byeong Case... Must Reveal Who Was Involved"

Democratic Party Rep. Kim Byung-joo MBC Radio Interview
"Remove Alleged Facts? Risk of Abuse of Power"

The investigation report on the late Corporal Chae Su-geun's case was transferred to the police, and amid suspicions of external pressure during the retrieval process, Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "It must be clearly revealed whether the National Security Office or the Minister of National Defense was involved."

On the 9th, Kim appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "It appears that the Ministry of National Defense's Legal Affairs Management Office tried to persuade in some way to handle it differently," adding, "The National Security Office, the Minister of National Defense, the Vice Minister of National Defense, and the Legal Affairs Management Office all need to conduct an investigation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Colonel A, the head of the Marine Corps investigation team investigating Corporal Chae's case, was dismissed from his post for insubordination. The Marine Corps Command judged that disobeying the order to withhold the transfer of the investigation report on Corporal Chae's case to the police constituted 'military discipline disorder,' making it difficult for him to continue his duties.

Kim said, "I reviewed the document reported to Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop, and it contained the initial investigation results and the intention to transfer the case to the police," adding, "He must have signed it, so reversing it the next day is a very unusual incident."

Kim also said, "It seems the National Security Office in the Presidential Office requested to receive the materials for the media briefing on the investigation results of Corporal Chae's case first," adding, "After sending the investigation results for the media briefing, the atmosphere suddenly changed on the morning of July 31. Therefore, suspicion inevitably arises that the National Security Office in the Presidential Office was involved."

Regarding the order to "exclude the parts specifying criminal charges" related to Corporal Chae's report, Kim pointed out, "According to Article 7 of the Enforcement Decree of the Military Police Duties Act, the commander of the unit commanding the military police unit must guarantee independence when performing duties to ensure the fairness of the investigation, which means not interfering with the investigation," adding, "Ordering to remove the charges or instructing how to transfer the case could be an abuse of authority."

Furthermore, Kim conveyed that Corporal Chae's bereaved family is requesting leniency for the head of the investigation team. He said, "The family representative has various opinions, one of which is hoping for leniency for the investigation team leader," adding, "This indicates a certain level of trust in the report the investigation team provided to the bereaved family."

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