Supreme Court finalizes 3-yr prison term for ex-commander over Marine's death
Lim Seong-geun, jailed former commander of the 1st Division of the Marine Corps, is taken to the office of special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team in Seoul, Tuesday, to be questioned as a suspect over allegations of government interference in a military probe into the death of a young Marine in 2023. Korea Times photo by Min Kyung-seok
The Supreme Court on Tuesday finalized a three-year prison term for a former Marine commander for negligently causing the death of a young Marine in 2023.
Lim Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, was convicted of causing death or injury through occupational negligence and violating orders under the Military Criminal Act, in connection with the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun and the injury of other Marines during search operations for heavy rain victims in Yecheon, some 160 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in July 2023.
The top court upheld a lower court's three-year sentence for Lim, ruling there were no errors in the interpretation of the law.
Lim was indicted by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team in November 2025 for allegedly sending the Marines on the search mission without providing life vests and other safety equipment.
He was also indicted for allegedly disobeying orders to transfer operational control to the Army during the search.