Summoned as a Witness...
"Maintained Close Contact with Lee Jongseop and Kim Gyehwan"
Heo Taekeun Appeared at 10 a.m. as Former Director General
The Special Prosecutor's Office for the Chae Sangbyeong case (headed by Special Prosecutor Lee Myunghyun) will summon Park Jinhee, former military aide to former Defense Minister Lee Jongseop and currently a Major General in the Army, as a witness for questioning on the 28th.
On the 25th, Deputy Special Prosecutor Jeong Minyoung announced at a regular briefing, "We will summon Park Jinhee, former military aide, for questioning at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, the 28th."
Deputy Special Prosecutor Jeong stated, "Park, as military aide, maintained close contact with key figures including then Defense Minister Lee Jongseop and former Marine Corps Commandant Kim Gyehwan from July to August 2023 in connection with the Chae Sangbyeong death case." He added, "We plan to thoroughly investigate instructions and remarks from the President and the Minister at that time."
He continued, "Park is currently being summoned as a witness," and clarified, "The Special Prosecutor's Office has not conducted any compulsory investigation regarding Park." However, if evidence emerges that Park was deeply involved in changes to the list of suspects or the suspension of case transfers related to the Chae Sangbyeong case, there is a possibility that his status could be changed to that of a suspect.
At the time of the Chae Sangbyeong case, Park served as military aide (then Brigadier General) to Minister Lee Jongseop, assisting him closely. On August 1, 2023, the day after the so-called 'VIP Outrage,' Park instructed the Marine Corps Commandant to "consider referring only clear suspects for investigation and disciplining those responsible for command failures," effectively directing a reduction in the number of suspects in the Chae Sangbyeong case.
Meanwhile, Heo Taekeun, former Director General for National Defense Policy at the Ministry of National Defense, appeared at the Special Prosecutor's Office for the Chae Sangbyeong case in Seocho-gu, Seoul, as a witness at around 10 a.m. on this day. Heo was present on July 30, 2023, when then Minister Lee received the Marine Corps investigation team's initial report that "former 1st Marine Division Commander Lim Sungkeun was charged with involuntary manslaughter."
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