Seoul: A Seoul court on Tuesday rejected an arrest warrant for former Marine Corps Commandant Kim Kye-hwan over allegations of giving false testimony in connection with a probe into the death of a young Marine in 2023. The Seoul Central District Court cited a lack of risk of flight or evidence tampering as reasons for rejecting the warrant requested by a special counsel team investigating Kim.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the retired three-star general is suspected of being involved in alleged interference in the military probe of the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun. Cpl. Chae died while searching for torrential rain victims in July 2023 without safety equipment, such as a life jacket.
The special counsel team has focused on allegations that former President Yoon Suk Yeol became enraged during a meeting of senior presidential officials in July 2023. This reaction followed a briefing on the probe results that found a senior Marine commander responsible for Chae's death.
Kim had consistently denied informing the top Marine investigator in charge of the initial probe about Yoon's reaction. However, during a court hearing earlier in the day, he acknowledged for the first time that he had heard about Yoon's alleged outburst of anger. This was contrary to his previous testimonies made at the National Assembly and at court.
The special counsel is expected to review the court's decision and consider whether to seek an arrest warrant again.