On the 29th, the side of former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop stated that the phone calls between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Sergeant Chae of the Marine Corps at the time of his death in the line of duty, as well as the investigation orders and dismissal actions against former Marine Corps Investigation Unit Commander Colonel Park Jeong-hoon, are unrelated.
Following media reports the previous day revealing that President Yoon and former Minister Lee had three phone calls on August 2 of last year, when the Marine Corps Investigation Unit's records on Sergeant Chae's death were transferred to the police, sparking controversy, they appeared to rush to contain the situation.
From the left, President Yoon Suk-yeol and former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop. Photo by Kim Hyun-min.
On that day, Lee's attorney Kim Jae-hoon conveyed this position in a statement sent to the media.
Attorney Kim first expressed regret over the leak of trial records that led to the reports. He said, "It is questionable whether it was appropriate for the defense counsel to provide the call records, obtained through a fact inquiry requested from the military court for the purpose of defense, to the media, and whether it is appropriate to comment on the publicly disclosed call records. However, to dispel unnecessary misunderstandings, we clarify our position."
He added, "As a former Minister of National Defense who assisted the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and oversaw defense affairs, I believe it is inappropriate to disclose whether or not there were phone calls with the President (including those related to the Presidential Office) or their contents, so I will not specifically comment on the existence of such calls. This has been our consistent stance, and it will not change going forward."
Attorney Kim stated, "However, all allegations raised in relation to this matter are completely unfounded and must be refuted. On July 31 of last year, there was no fact that the former Minister received the President's anger regarding the Marine Corps death incident, nor did anyone from the Presidential Office tell him to 'remove the division commander,' nor did he say such things to anyone."
He continued, "I would like to emphasize once again that the instructions to withhold the transfer on that day were decisions made legitimately by the Minister of National Defense within his authority and responsibility, and there was no possibility of any illegality involved."
Attorney Kim argued, "The phone call records between the President and the Minister from 12:07 PM to 12:58 PM on August 2 last year are unrelated to the order given to Kim Dong-hyeok, head of the Ministry of National Defense prosecution unit, to investigate Colonel Park Jeong-hoon, head of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit, for insubordination at 12:05 PM that day, or the instruction at 12:12 PM to Kim Gye-hwan, Commander of the Marine Corps, to review personnel measures. The order to investigate insubordination was already made before the phone calls with the President, and the review of personnel measures for the Marine Corps Investigation Unit Commander was a natural instruction accompanying the investigation order. The initiation of the insubordination investigation, personnel measures against the Marine Corps Investigation Unit Commander, and the retrieval of case records from the Gyeongbuk Police Agency were all directives from the Minister of National Defense and results of their execution."
He emphasized, "It is problematic to view the Minister of National Defense's phone calls with the President, Presidential Office officials, the Prime Minister, or Cabinet members from a suspicious perspective. There is absolutely nothing in the former Minister's call records that would warrant suspicion."
According to the communication fact inquiry results obtained by former Colonel Park's side in the military trial on insubordination charges, President Yoon called former Minister Lee three times on August 2 last year at 12:07 PM, 12:43 PM, and 12:57 PM. The calls lasted 4 minutes 5 seconds, 13 minutes 43 seconds, and 52 seconds respectively. The phone number used was reportedly the personal mobile number President Yoon used during his time as a prosecutor.
President Yoon also called former Minister Lee on August 8 last year, with the call lasting 33 seconds. The following day, August 9, former Minister Lee decided to have the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters re-examine the Sergeant Chae case.
Around August 2, former Minister Lee also made calls to Kim Yong-hyun, head of the Presidential Security Service; Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Security Office; Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office; Lim Jong-deuk, Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office; and Lim Ki-hoon, then Defense Secretary.
In this situation where the testimonies of former Colonel Park and former Minister Lee sharply diverge, attention is focused on what investigative conclusion the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gong-su-cheo), which is investigating allegations of external pressure on the Sergeant Chae death case investigation, will reach.
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