As the third anniversary of Corporal Chae Soo-geun's death approaches, the Marine Corps Reserve Group has announced it will file additional complaints against military officials accused of distorting the truth and obstructing the investigation into the case.
On July 15, Jeong Won-cheol, president of the Marine Corps Reserve Group, and Moon Geon-il, a representative lawyer from Ilro Law Firm, held a press conference at the National Assembly's communication center. They stated, "Three years have passed since a 20-year-old soldier was thrown into a swift current without a life jacket due to the command's mistakes, yet the investigation has been delayed due to external pressure from the government and organized cover-ups."
They emphasized that since Colonel Park Jeong-hoon, the former head of the Marine Corps investigation team, has been acquitted, those military officials and operational commanders who provided false testimony to frame him must be held accountable in court.
The Reserve Group highlighted that there was organized perjury during Colonel Park's insubordination trial. Former Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan and former Chief of Staff Kim Hwa-dong have already been indicted for providing false testimony regarding the 'VIP (President Yoon Suk Yeol) anger theory,' and former Deputy Commander Jeong Jong-beom is also under investigation for providing false statements about the circumstances of his notes.
On this day, the Reserve Group announced that it has newly filed a complaint against former Public Affairs Chief Yoon Se for making statements implying that Corporal Chae's death was due to his own negligence. Jeong criticized Yoon, stating, "Even if there was undue interference from power, can a soldier abandon his conscience and honor to frame a comrade?"
Additional complaints were also filed regarding the circumstances surrounding the protection of Im Seong-geun, the former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division. The Reserve Group accused former Marine Corps 1st Division Chief of Staff Ahn Seok of violating laws related to aggravated punishment for specific crimes. Ahn is under investigation for allegedly contacting unit members who were set to be witnesses in the police investigation to restrict their statements and for controlling the police's search and seizure at the Gyeongbuk Police Agency.
Furthermore, former Army 50th Division Commander Moon Byeong-sam, who was the actual operational commander at the time of Corporal Chae's death and neglected to prevent soldiers from being deployed into a dangerous environment, has also been accused of dereliction of duty.
Jeong mentioned the allegations of lobbying for Im, stating, "Whether it was through Pastor Kim Jang-hwan or Lee Jong-ho, a co-conspirator in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, the special investigation and law enforcement agencies must investigate thoroughly without any sanctuary."
He concluded, "Our fight does not end with punishment. We will restore a just Marine Corps that values the lives of its subordinates more than its own honor."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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