"Denial of Justice and Human Rights Violations"… Director Im Seong-geun Files Complaint Against Colonel Park Jeong-hoon

Director Im Seong-geun Expected to Discharge Around Late February Next Year
Military Prosecutors Demand 3-Year Prison Sentence for Colonel Park Jeong-hoon

Im Seong-geun, former commander (brigadier general) of the 1st Marine Division who is under investigation by the High-ranking Officials Crime Investigation Division regarding the Marine Corps personnel death incident, has filed a complaint against Park Jeong-hoon, former head of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit (colonel), who was in charge of the initial investigation of the death incident, on charges of abuse of authority and coercion. Im, who was appointed as a policy researcher at the end of last month, is scheduled to be discharged around the end of February next year. On the 11th, Im stated, "Although I had prepared it earlier this year, I postponed filing the complaint against Colonel Park Jeong-hoon until the replacement of the Marine Corps Commander for the sake of the Marine Corps I love, and today I submitted the complaint to the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters."

On July 19, at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee hearing related to the public petition requesting the initiation of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, witnesses including former Marine Corps Investigation Unit Commander Park Jeong-hoon, former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun, and former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop were present.

Im said, "The initiation of the investigation against me by the Marine Corps Investigation Unit was an act by those who chose me as a scapegoat to calm public opinion, using military police investigative authority without legal grounds to fabricate non-existent facts and unheard-of negligence, thereby denying justice and violating human rights," and added, "So far, absurd suspicions have been created and distributed as if there were some private connection between me and President Yoon Seok-yeol, making me the target of nationwide criticism."

Earlier, regarding the Marine Corps personnel death incident that occurred last summer, the Marine Corps Investigation Unit's initial investigation record stated that eight people, including Commander Im Seong-geun, were suspected of professional negligence resulting in death. Subsequently, the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters forwarded the case to the police excluding the charges against Im, and the police dismissed the charges. On the other hand, in November, the military prosecution demanded a three-year prison sentence for Colonel Park on charges of insubordination.

On July 19th, at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee hearing related to the public petition requesting the proposal of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, witnesses including former Marine Corps Investigation Unit Commander Park Jeong-hoon, former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun, and former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop attended.

It has been about a year since he, who was investigating the death of Corporal Chae in the Marine Corps, exposed interference in the investigation and was indicted on October 6 last year on charges of insubordination and defamation of a superior. Article 44 of the Military Criminal Act (Insubordination) stipulates that "a person who resists or disobeys a lawful order from a superior shall be punished." The three-year prison sentence is the maximum penalty that can be requested under this law in "other situations" excluding wartime.

The military prosecution argued that "considering that Colonel Park caused significant adverse effects on the military command system and the discipline of the entire military, severe punishment is necessary." Meanwhile, Colonel Park denied all charges. The verdict for Colonel Park is scheduled to be announced on January 9, 2025. Meanwhile, separate from the trial, the National Assembly is pushing for a state audit on the death incident of Corporal Chae.

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