Former Division Commander Lim Seonggeun Appears for Second Special Probe on Corporal Chae's Case: "No Criminal Responsibility"

by Kwak Minjae

Published 07 Aug.2025 10:50(KST)

On August 7, the special prosecutor team led by Lee Myunghyun, which is investigating allegations of external pressure on the probe into the death of Marine Corps Corporal Chae, summoned former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seonggeun for a second round of questioning.

Im Sunggeun, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, who was accused of involuntary manslaughter due to negligence in the line of duty, appeared at the Seoul Seocho-dong Special Investigation Team for Fallen Marines on the 7th as a suspect and read a statement. Photo by Yonhap News

At around 9:45 a.m. that day, Lim appeared at the special prosecutor's office in Seocho-dong, Seoul. He is being questioned as a suspect on charges including involuntary manslaughter due to negligence in the line of duty and abuse of authority by obstructing the exercise of rights. When asked whether he maintains that he bears no responsibility for Corporal Chae's death, Lim stated, "As the commanding officer of Chae's unit, I feel a broad and overall moral responsibility for his death," but added, "I do not believe I bear any criminal responsibility."

He also responded to reporters asking whether he still maintains that he learned of the Marine's drowning belatedly by saying, "My position remains the same." When asked whether he still denies knowing Lee Jongho, the former CEO of Black Pearl Invest who is reportedly acquainted with First Lady Kim Keonhee, Lim said, "I have never met him, and I only learned of his existence through media reports."

Lim, who was the commanding officer of Corporal Chae's unit at the time of his death during flood recovery operations in Yecheon-gun, North Gyeongsang Province on July 19, 2023, faces charges including involuntary manslaughter due to negligence for allegedly ordering a risky search operation without providing life jackets or other safety equipment. He was initially named as a suspect in the Marine Corps investigation but was later excluded from the list of suspects following the so-called "VIP outrage." During this process, suspicions arose that First Lady Kim Keonhee may have exerted influence, leading to allegations of lobbying for Lim's exoneration.

Previously, on July 2, Lim appeared before the special prosecutor as a suspect on charges including involuntary manslaughter, but reportedly exercised his right to remain silent on many points during the approximately four-hour investigation. On this day, the special prosecutor team is expected to question Lim on a wide range of issues, including whether he is criminally liable for involuntary manslaughter, allegations of lobbying for exoneration through associates of the First Lady, and suspicions of submitting a false report on the circumstances of the incident immediately after it occurred.