Questioning Scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on August 8
On August 7, the special prosecutor team led by Lee Myunghyun, which is investigating allegations of external interference in the investigation into the death of Marine Corporal Chae, summoned Lim Sunggeun, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, for a second round of questioning. The special prosecutor's office will also summon Lim Kihun, former Defense Secretary, and Cho Taeyong, former Director of the National Security Office, for additional questioning on the morning of August 8.
Im Sunggeun, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, who was accused of involuntary manslaughter due to negligence in the line of duty, appeared at the Seoul Seocho-dong Special Investigation Team for Fallen Marines on the 7th as a suspect and read a statement. Photo by Yonhap News
Former Commander Lim appeared at the special prosecutor’s office in Seocho-dong, Seoul, at around 9:45 a.m. on this day. He is being investigated as a suspect on charges including involuntary manslaughter due to negligence in the line of duty and abuse of authority to interfere with the exercise of rights. When asked whether he believes he bears no responsibility for Corporal Chae’s death, Lim stated, "As the commanding officer of Corporal Chae’s original unit, I feel a broad and overall moral responsibility for his death," but added, "I understand that I do not bear any criminal responsibility."
When asked by reporters whether he still maintains that he learned about the Marine’s drowning belatedly, he replied, "My position remains the same." In response to a question about whether he still claims not to know Lee Jongho, former CEO of Black Pearl Invest, who is reportedly acquainted with First Lady Kim Keonhee, Lim said, "I have never met him, and I only learned of his existence through media reports."
Lim was the commanding officer of Corporal Chae, who died in the line of duty during flood recovery operations in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, on July 19, 2023. He is accused of involuntary manslaughter due to negligence in the line of duty, including ordering a risky search operation without providing safety equipment such as life jackets. He was initially listed as a suspect in the Marine Corps investigation, but was later excluded from the list following the so-called "VIP outrage." During this process, there are suspicions that First Lady Kim Keonhee may have exerted influence, giving rise to allegations of a lobbying effort to save Lim.
Previously, Lim appeared before the special prosecutor on July 2 as a suspect on charges including involuntary manslaughter due to negligence in the line of duty. However, it is known that during the approximately four-hour investigation, he exercised his right to remain silent on a significant portion of the questions. On this day, the special prosecutor’s team is expected to question Lim regarding whether he is criminally liable for involuntary manslaughter, as well as allegations of lobbying through associates of the First Lady and suspicions of false reporting of the incident’s circumstances immediately after the accident.
Special Prosecutor Jeong Minyoung stated at a regular briefing on this day, "We plan to conduct the second round of questioning based on additional investigations carried out over the past month," and added, "Former Commander Lim has stated that he will undergo questioning until 5 p.m., but the actual end time will depend on the situation in the afternoon."
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor’s team plans to summon former Secretary Lim as a reference witness and former Director Cho as a suspect at 9:30 a.m. on August 8.
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