Special counsel seeks arrest warrant for ex-defense chief, 4 others in Marine death probe
Former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup appears before a special counsel team to be questioned about allegations of interfering in a military probe into the 2023 death of a young Marine at the team's office in Seoul, Sept. 26. Yonhap
A special counsel team on Monday sought warrants to arrest former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and four others over allegations of government interference in a military probe into the 2023 death of a young Marine.
The team, led by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon, made the request for former Defense Minister Lee on charges of abuse of power in connection to the alleged interference by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration in the initial probe.
It also filed arrest warrants for former Marine Corps Commandant Kim Kye-hwan; Park Jin-hee, a former aide to Lee; Kim Dong-hyuk, former chief of the defense ministry's prosecution office; and Yoo Jae-eun, a former ministry legal affairs official.
"The special counsel confirmed how unjust pressure was exerted on the probe and believes that numerous suspects who had held key public office conspired to commit crimes, such as abuse of power," assistant special counsel Choung Min-young said in a briefing.
The team seeks the arrest of the five suspects due to concerns of destruction of evidence, Choung noted.
Court hearings on whether to issue the warrants are expected to take place later this week.
The case centers on allegations the former Yoon administration interfered in the Marine Corps' investigation into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun in July 2023 in order to clear certain people of responsibility.
Chae died after being swept away in a swollen stream during a search for victims of heavy rains while not wearing proper safety equipment, such as a life vest.
The former minister, who served at the time of Chae's death, is accused of intervening in the probe to prevent its results from being transferred to the police.
Special prosecutors believe Lee ordered the findings of the probe to be retrieved from the police after Yoon allegedly flew into a rage upon being briefed on them.
Kim Kye-hwan, who served as the Marine Corps' top commander at the time, has been accused of perjuring himself in testimonies made in court regarding the investigation.
The team sought a warrant to arrest Kim in July, but a court rejected the request, citing low risk of flight and evidence destruction.