Marine Corps Private Chae Sang-byeong Incident 'Reexamination of Negligence Causality'

Ministry of National Defense: "Minister Transferred Case to Investigation Headquarters by Directive"

The investigation into the death of the late Corporal Chae Su-geun, which has been fraught with difficulties including the dismissal of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit Chief on charges of insubordination, will be transferred to the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 9th, the Ministry of National Defense announced, “Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop has ordered that this case be transferred to the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters for reexamination in accordance with the law.”

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "We have determined that additional legal review is necessary regarding the investigation results of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit and have been reviewing the relevant details. According to the review, although the current investigation results list the negligence of the involved parties, there is no clear explanation as to whether there is a direct and substantial causal relationship between the negligence and the death, making it unclear whether criminal charges can be confirmed."

Until now, the Marine Corps Investigation Unit Chief said, "The investigation confirmed the professional negligence of eight suspects, including the division commander, and I personally reported this to the police." Those to whom he reported include the Marine Corps Commander, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Minister of National Defense.

Earlier, on the 19th of last month, Corporal Chae entered the Naeseongcheon River in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk, and while forming a human chain with other soldiers to search for a missing person, was swept away by a rapid current and went missing. His body was found 14 hours later. He was not wearing a life jacket.

Subsequently, the Marine Corps Investigation Unit was scheduled to explain the investigation details related to Corporal Chae’s death at a press briefing on the 31st of last month but suddenly canceled it. The investigation materials reportedly included charges of negligent homicide against eight individuals, including Division Commander Lim Seong-geun of the Marine Corps 1st Division, to which Corporal Chae belonged. The Ministry of National Defense is said to have instructed to withhold transferring the investigation materials to the police.

However, Colonel Park, who was the Marine Corps Investigation Unit Chief, transferred the investigation details to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency on the 2nd. The military regarded this as insubordination and dismissed him from his position as Investigation Unit Chief. It is also reported that the military requested the return of the case files transferred to the police. Some have criticized the military leadership, suggesting they deliberately tried to downplay the Corporal Chae case.

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