Former Division Commander Im Seong-geun Applies for Honorary Discharge... Navy's Judgment?

Recently applied for honorable discharge from the Marine Corps Headquarters
High possibility of rejection according to regulations

It has been reported that Im Seong-geun, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, who is under investigation by the High-ranking Officials Crime Investigation Agency and others for the Marine Corporal Chae incident, has applied for an honorable discharge. Whether Im’s discharge will be approved is to be decided through a Navy review, and the Navy is expected to consider both whether it violates regulations and public opinion.

On the 19th, a public hearing was held at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee regarding the petition for the initiation of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol. Former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun is raising his hand to request to speak.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 30th, Hankyoreh and the office of Rep. Chu Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea reported that Im submitted his honorable discharge application on the 23rd. According to the Military Personnel Act, soldiers who have served for more than 20 years can receive an honorable discharge allowance if they voluntarily retire honorably before retirement age. The honorable discharge allowance is calculated by multiplying half of the monthly salary at the time of discharge by the number of months remaining until retirement. However, if a soldier receives a prison sentence or higher during active duty, the honorable discharge allowance is reclaimed.

On the 26th, the Marine Corps commander approved Im’s honorable discharge application. The Navy Headquarters is expected to hold a review committee as early as next week to decide on Im’s honorable discharge, followed by final approval from the Ministry of National Defense. This process usually takes about a month. The Navy Headquarters review committee’s judgment criteria will likely focus on two main points. First, whether it is appropriate to grant an honorable discharge to a military general who is a suspect under investigation by agencies such as the High-ranking Officials Crime Investigation Agency. Although the Gyeongbuk Police Agency decided not to indict Im on the 8th, the possibility of reversal during the prosecution’s investigation must be considered.

Second, whether the period of commissioned training received in the form of policy training after Corporal Chae’s death should be taken into account. The Military Personnel Act stipulates that soldiers undergoing commissioned training must add the training period to their mandatory service period.

Although not directly related to regulations, the Navy Headquarters cannot ignore the morale of the Marine Corps and public opinion. If Im is granted an honorable discharge, there could be criticism that it is a ‘scapegoating’ related to the investigation pressure allegations in the Corporal Chae death case. A senior military official said, "We recognize the need for additional measures to boost Marine Corps morale, but it is true that there are constraints under the current circumstances."

Meanwhile, Im is now subject to prosecution more than a year after Corporal Chae’s death. On the 8th, the Gyeongbuk Police Agency announced the investigation results of the Corporal Chae death case and decided not to indict Im. However, the bereaved family of Corporal Chae filed an objection to the police investigation results on the 23rd. After receiving this, the police confirmed that on the 24th, Im was additionally referred to the prosecution.

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