Seoul: Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong appeared before a special counsel team Tuesday for questioning over allegations of government interference in an initial probe into the 2023 death of a Marine. Cho arrived at special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's office in southern Seoul as a suspect in the case over power abuse allegations in connection to the Marine Corps' investigation in 2023.
According to Yonhap News Agency, as he entered the building, the former NIS director stated he would "diligently" take part in the session but did not respond to reporters' questions. Cho was one of the senior officials present at a meeting in July 2023 where then President Yoon Suk Yeol allegedly reacted strongly upon hearing the preliminary probe results that found a senior Marine commander responsible for the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun.
Chae died earlier that month while on a mission to search for victims of torrential rain. The former NIS director, who served as the national security adviser at the time, is believed to have been one of two people Yoon retained at the meeting before making a call to then Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup. He is also suspected of having called the then defense minister days later when the Marine Corps' investigation team sent the preliminary probe results to the police against superiors' orders.
The case is centered on allegations that the investigation results were later altered to clear the initial suspects of responsibility. Cho is expected to be questioned about Yoon's reaction to the initial probe results and whether he was directly involved in the alleged instructions to modify its findings. The special counsel team raided Cho's home earlier this month and confiscated his cellphone, among other items.