Ex-Marine chief appears for arrest warrant hearing
The retired three-star general is suspected of being involved in the alleged interference in the military probe of the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who died while searching for torrential rain victims in July 2023 without safety equipment, such as a life jacket.
Kim did not respond to reporters' questions as he appeared at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, four days after a special counsel team filed for the warrant on charges of perjury.
The team has been looking into allegations that former President Yoon Suk Yeol burst into a rage during a meeting of senior presidential officials in July 2023, after being briefed on the results of the initial probe that found a senior Marine commander responsible for Chae's death.
Kim is suspected of telling the top Marine investigator in charge of the probe of the episode about Yoon. The former Marine commandant has denied doing so in testimonies made at the National Assembly and at court.
The special counsel has accused Kim of perjuring himself multiple times, calling for his arrest due to concerns of destruction of evidence. (Yonhap)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Probe into Yoon couple's 2022 influence-peddling intensifies
The special counsel team intensified its probe on Monday into former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee's alleged meddling in the People Power Party's candidate nomination process for the June 2022 elections. The team on Monday conducted a search and seizure at the home and office of Rep. Lee Jun-seok, who is now leader of the minor opposition Reform Party and was chair of the conservative People Power Party during the 2022 poll in which local elections and by-elections for empty parliamentary seats took place simultaneously. The investigation centers on claims that Yoon and his wife, through self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun, influenced the nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun, a member of the then-ruling People Power Party, for a by-election in June 2022 in exchange for Myung fabricating support for Yoon in polls when Yoon was running for president. According to the special counsel, Lee is considered a reference in the ongoing probe. Investigators are expected to review his role in a meeting on Feb. 29, 2024, at Chilbulsa Temple in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, where Myung, Kim Young-sun, Reform Party floor leader Rep. Chun Ha-ram and Lee were present. The meeting took place after Kim failed to secure the nomination of the People Power Party in the 2024 general election, in contrast to 2022, when she was nominated and ran in the by-election. The Reform Party leadership later rejected a request from Kim to nominate her. The raid came just one day after Lee was elected as the new head of the Reform Party on Sunday. Lee criticized the timing of the operation, calling it "suspicious" during a YouTube interview with local broadcaster Channel A. Lee pointed to the change in administration from former President Yoon, who was impeached and removed from office, to President Lee Jae Myung, who was elected in June to replace him. "I already clearly stated what I did and didn't say," he said, referring to his questioning by prosecutors last November. "Now that the investigative body has changed, maybe they want to verify more." Earlier on Monday, the Reform Party canceled its scheduled leadership meeting, denouncing the raid as politically motivated. "We cannot shake off the suspicion that this was a media stunt aimed at humiliating us," Chun said during a press briefing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Chun stressed that the party had fully cooperated with investigators, adding that the raid on a lawmaker's office was excessive as the case involves matters that took place prior to Lee's election to the National Assembly in April 2022. Meanwhile, a separate case added further complexity to the situation. Choi Ho, a former Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member and 2022 Pyeongtaek mayoral candidate, was found dead early Sunday in a mountainous area in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Choi had been questioned in April as a witness in the probe into allegations that the Yoon couple intervened in the People Power Party's nomination process to make him a candidate without a primary in the 2022 local election. Choi, who ran for mayor of Pyeongtaek as a candidate of the People Power Party, lost the election. The special counsel said it had no direct contact with Choi in relation to the ongoing investigation.
Korea Herald
5 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Migrant worker tied to forklift for ‘giggling,' suspect says
A Korean man who tied a Sri Lankan migrant worker to a forklift at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla Province, told police he did so because the worker 'let out a giggle,' according to a human rights group on Monday. A migrant worker's human rights network based in South Jeolla Province said the Korean suspect told investigators, 'I told him to teach his colleague well, but he let out a giggle, so I did that.' The victim, however, said he neither laughed nor understood what the supervisor was saying at the time. 'I didn't know what I did wrong. I was very scared (when I was tied to the forklift),' he was quoted as saying by the group. The migrant worker, who has been employed at the factory since arriving in Korea under the work permit system last December, initially hesitated to report the abuse out of fear he wouldn't be able to find another job. He is currently staying at a religious facility with support from civic groups. South Jeolla Province Gov. Kim Yung-rok said Saturday that a company with a good working environment has expressed interest in hiring the man. 'We will visit the company on Monday to finalize the recruitment,' Kim said. Following the incident, which sparked national outrage, President Lee Jae Myung condemned the perpetrators and called for a thorough investigation. Local police have booked the Korean suspect without detention on potential charges, including special confinement and special assault.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Yoon's insurrection trial on hold as courts begin summer recess
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol's criminal insurrection trial over his short-lived martial law imposition, will be put on hold, as courts across the country begin a summer recess on Monday. The Seoul Central District Court, where Yoon's trial is being held, is scheduled to enter a two-week annual summer recess period from Monday to Aug. 8, a notice posted on its website showed Sunday. During this period, the court will have a reduced schedule for hearings. For all civil cases, hearings and preparatory and conciliation proceedings will be temporarily halted. Dates for criminal trials without detention and hearings and trials that 'do not have a significant impact on human rights' will not be held in the cited period. However, hearings on motions for provisional attachment or preliminary injunctions of civil cases, reviews of criminal trials for defendants held in custody, detention hearings before arrest and related reviews, will be carried out as scheduled during recess. Other trials and proceedings can also continue, if the court deems it necessary. Other courts nationwide will adopt similar rules during their respective summer recess period, which would take place around late July to mid-August. The Seoul Central District Court has so far held 12 hearings for Yoon's insurrection trial. Yoon has not attended his trial for three consecutive hearings, citing poor health. He is currently detained at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, just south of the capital. After the two-week recess wraps-up, Yoon faces a separate trial at the Seoul Central District Court, over additional charges of abuse of power and violating the Presidential Records Act, tied to his martial law bid. The charges were brought by the special counsel team led by prosecutor Cho Eun-seok and the first preparatory hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19. The next hearings in the trials of Yoon's aides, including that of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, will not take place until mid-August. Kim has been charged with insurrection and abuse of power for deploying the military to the National Assembly in an unsuccessful attempt to block lawmakers from voting to overturn Yoon's martial law decree.
