Testimony: "Yoon Became Very Angry After Receiving the Report"
It has been revealed that former Defense Minister Lee Jongseop, upon receiving a report in August 2023 that the records of the Chae Sangbyeong case had been transferred to the police, requested through the Presidential Office that this fact be reported to former President Yoon Sukyeol.
According to the legal community on August 5, the Special Prosecutor's Team for the Death in the Line of Duty Marine Case recently confirmed these details during investigations of former National Security Advisor Cho Taeyong and former Presidential Office Defense Secretary Lim Gihun.
On July 31, 2023, former President Yoon received a report from former Secretary Lim Gihun regarding the initial investigation results by the Marine Corps Investigation Team, which identified former 1st Marine Division Commander Lim Sungkeun and others as suspects for occupational negligence resulting in death. Reportedly, Yoon expressed 'rage,' saying, "If you punish division commanders like this, who would want to be one?" Immediately afterward, Yoon called former Minister Lee Jongseop and reportedly rebuked him, saying, "Does it make sense to punish everyone like this?"
In response, former Minister Lee ordered the Marine Corps to withhold the case transfer and cancel briefings to the media and the National Assembly. However, the Marine Corps Investigation Team, led by Colonel Park Junghoon, considered this order to be external interference in the investigation and proceeded to transfer the case as is to the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency on August 2 of that year.
At that time, former Minister Lee, who was on a diplomatic mission in Uzbekistan, received a report from the Marine Corps around 11 a.m. on the same day that the Marine Corps Investigation Team had forced the transfer of the records. It has been determined that Lee then told then-National Security Advisor Cho Taeyong, "Something that should never have happened has occurred. Please report this to the Presidential Office as well."
Former Advisor Cho immediately reported to former President Yoon that "the initial investigation records of the Marine Corps Investigation Team have been transferred to the police," and the special prosecutor has obtained testimony that Yoon became very angry upon hearing this.
On August 2, 2023, the day the Chae Sangbyeong case records were transferred, former President Yoon had close phone communications with former Defense Minister Lee Jongseop, former Defense Secretary Lim Gihun, and former Vice Defense Minister Shin Beomcheol. Based on these phone records, the special prosecutor's team suspects that Yoon may have directly ordered the retrieval of the Chae Sangbyeong case records and a targeted investigation into Marine Corps Investigation Team Chief Park Junghoon.
The special prosecutor's team plans to summon former National Security Advisor Cho Taeyong again on August 8 to investigate former President Yoon's response and instructions at the time.
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