Seoul : South Korea ex-Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup has been summoned next week for questioning in the 2023 Marine death probe, officials said on Wednesday. The special counsel team will question him regarding alleged government interference in the military investigation.
Lee is scheduled to appear before special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon’s team next Thursday as a witness, marking his first appearance since the team’s formation in July, his lawyer said.
The investigation focuses on allegations that high-ranking officials from the then Yoon Suk Yeol administration cleared initial suspects in the probe into Cpl. Chae Su-geun’s death in July 2023. Lee, who held the defence minister post at the time, will be questioned about the instructions he received regarding the case. He had initially approved the probe’s results but later rescinded them after former President Yoon reportedly objected.
Lee has also faced accusations of leaving South Korea last year to evade an investigation by anti-corruption authorities. In March 2024, he departed for Australia following his appointment as ambassador, despite the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials probing his role in the Marine case. He returned shortly after amid mounting criticism.
Meanwhile, former Vice Defence Minister Shin Beom-chul appeared before the special counsel on Wednesday to provide testimony regarding the case, Yonhap News Agency reported.
On August 29, the special counsel team raided the military prosecution offices in central Seoul, investigating alleged interference in transferring the 2023 Marine death case to police. The probe continues to examine claims that high-ranking officials influenced the investigation into Cpl. Chae Su-geun’s death.
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