Seoul: A special counsel team announced plans to summon former presidential secretary Kang Eui-gu this week for questioning concerning the presidential office's suspected involvement in the initial probe into the 2023 death of a Marine.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the team led by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon will request Kang to appear as a witness on Wednesday. Kang, who previously served as an investigator for the prosecution, is considered a close associate of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and had worked within the presidential office during Yoon's administration.
The investigation aims to determine whether the presidential office interfered in the proceedings following Cpl. Chae's death and the subsequent investigation. During a press briefing, assistant special counsel Jeong Min-young stated their intention to verify any potential intervention from the presidential office.
The probe stems from allegations that former President Yoon became infuriated during a senior presidential secretaries meeting on July 31, 2023. This reaction followed a briefing on the military investigation's findings, which identified a senior Marine commander as responsible for the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun. Chae had perished earlier that month after being swept away by a swollen stream while searching for victims of torrential rain.
Jeong further noted that Kang did not attend the July 31 meeting but reportedly engaged in several phone conversations with then-presidential defense secretary Lim Ki-hoon on the same day. Lim allegedly informed then-Marine Corps Commandant Kim Kye-hwan about Yoon's anger, leading to alterations in the investigation's results.
The special counsel also intends to question former presidential economic security secretary Wang Yun-jong as a witness later in the day.