Seoul: Military prosecutors on Thursday demanded a three-year prison term for a former Marine Corps chief investigator over his alleged insubordination linked to an internal probe into a young conscript's death last year. Col. Park Jung-hun had led the Marine Corps' investigation into the death of a corporal surnamed Chae, who was swept away by a torrent during a search for missing flood victims in July 2023.According to Yonhap News Agency, the 20-year-old's death sparked national outrage due to initial findings that Chae and his colleagues were mobilized without proper safety gear. Military prosecutors charged Park last October for allegedly handing over the internal probe results of Chae's death to the civilian police, despite orders from then Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and the Marine Corps' chief to wait for more legal deliberations.Lee had initially approved the probe's findings before reversing his decision a day later, raising questions over the move. Park had drafted a report accusing eight mili tary officials of being responsible for Chae's death. However, the defense ministry immediately retrieved the report from the police, and Park was subsequently dismissed and indicted.
- October 12, 2026
