Colonel Jung Hoon Park Returns as Head of Marine Corps Investigation Unit After 1 Year and 11 Months

Colonel Jung Hoon Park of the Marine Corps will return to his position as head of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit after nearly two years. This comes as the special prosecutor investigating allegations of interference and external pressure in the investigation into the death of a Marine, known as the Chae Marine case, withdrew its appeal in Park's insubordination trial, resulting in his acquittal becoming final.

The Marine Corps Command announced on the 10th, "With the withdrawal of the special prosecutor's appeal in the Chae Marine case, Colonel Park, whose acquittal has been confirmed, will be reinstated as head of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit effective July 11." This marks his return to the post one year and eleven months after he was removed from the position during the investigation of the Chae Marine case in August 2023.

Colonel Jung Hoon Park, former head of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit, who was acquitted in the first trial related to the death of Corporal Chae Mo of the Marine Corps, is attending the first hearing of the second trial held at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on June 13, 2025. Photo by Dongju Yoon

During the investigation of the Chae Marine case in 2023, Colonel Park forwarded the initial investigation results to the police despite instructions from his superiors to withhold them, which led to his trial on charges of insubordination and defamation of a superior. In January, the military court acquitted Colonel Park, and the special prosecutor withdrew its related appeal the previous day, making the acquittal final. After his removal from office, Colonel Park served without an official post until March, when he was assigned as deputy director of the Marine Corps Personnel Office. This position was not part of the official organizational structure and was unrelated to Colonel Park's specialty as a military police officer.

Colonel Park's legal team released a statement that day, saying, "We welcome the confirmation of his acquittal. We express our deepest gratitude to everyone who stood by Colonel Park and supported him in upholding his convictions." The legal team added, "However, Colonel Park remains an active-duty officer, and the investigation into allegations of interference and cover-up in the Chae Marine case, which the special prosecutor must clarify, is still ongoing. Colonel Park and his legal team will continue to do their utmost to resolve the remaining issues."