The Seoul Central District Court found Im Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, guilty of both occupational negligence resulting in death and violation of orders in Corporal Chae's death case, sentencing him to three years in prison.
The court: “Im Seong-geun’s fixation on performance caused the accident” Regarding his evasion of responsibility, “I have never seen someone like this,” the court rebuked The bereaved: “The sentence is far too light… We will never forgive” Im Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, who faces a charge of occupational negligence resulting in death , visited the office of Special Counsel Lee Myung-hyun set up in the Seocho Hanssem Building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on July 29 last year, but was blocked at the entrance and could not go in.
Sung Dong-hoon, Reporter Im Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division who was indicted as the person responsible for the death in the line of duty of Corporal Chae, was sentenced in the first trial to three years in prison.
For more than three years of investigations and court proceedings after the accident, Im insisted that “I bear no legal responsibility,” arguing that the problem lay in the excessive orders of on-site commanders. The court, however, found that “former Division Commander Im bears the greatest responsibility.
” It came 1,024 days after Corporal Chae died while searching for missing persons at a flood site.
Search intensity changed in a single day… The court: “Because of Im Seong-geun’s pressure for ‘aggressive searches’” On the 8th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 22 found Im guilty of both occupational negligence resulting in death under the Criminal Act and violation of orders under the Military Criminal Act, and sentenced him to three years in prison.
Im was the top commander of the search operation for a missing person carried out near the Naeseongcheon Stream in North Gyeongsang Province on July 19, 2023, when torrential rains hit.
He was indicted and detained on charges that he ordered reckless operations, including underwater searches, without providing safety gear, causing the death of Corporal Chae, and that he continued to direct the search in defiance of a fragmentary order transferring operational control of the mission to the Army at the time of the accident.
The bench stated that “former Division Commander Im bears the greatest responsibility in Corporal Chae’s death in the line of duty. ” It determined that because Im pressed subordinate commanders to “deliver results” without clearly delimiting the scope of searchessuch as by saying “do not go into the water”they conducted hazardous search operations.
In particular, the court noted that on the first day of the operation, July 18, 2023, only “road reconnaissance,” visually checking the riverside from nearby roads, had been authorized; but after Im visited the scene and harshly rebuked the unit, saying “artillery is inefficient and disorderly,” guidance to “wade into the water up to the knees and waist to search” was disseminated to the field.
The court recounted that Im personally came to the site, compared the artillery units with other formations, and admonished Park Sang-hyeon, then commander of the 7th Brigade, saying, “Looking with your eyes is not a search. You need to go down in person and probe the brush,” and noted that Im was scheduled to visit the 7th Artillery Battalion the following day.
It concluded: “As these circumstances built up, the artillery battalion commander would have felt pressured to display active searching in front of the division commander, which became an important trigger for the decision to ‘enter up to the waist and search.
’” The court went on: “Had former Division Commander Im simply said ‘do not go into the water,’ the artillery battalion would not have carried out underwater searches; and had proper safety equipment been provided, even if someone had been swept away by the current, fellow soldiers could have rescued the victims swiftly. ” It added: “Im was well aware of the dangers of riverside searches and of the poor conditions.
In such a situation, when a division commander stresses aggressive searching, the artillery unit would expand the scope of entering the water in an effort to make up for mistakessomething he could readily have foreseen given his long military career.
” Most field commanders who led on site also received prison terms… The court: “Senior commanders must be punished to prevent repeat accidents” The court sentenced Park Sang-hyeon, former commander of the 7th Brigade who oversaw the disaster site, and Choi Jin-gyu, former commander of the 11th Artillery Battalion, to one year and six months of imprisonment each.
Lee Yong-min, former commander of the 7th Artillery Battalion and Corporal Chae’s immediate superior, received ten months of imprisonment, while Jang, former commander of the Headquarters Company of the 7th Artillery Battalion, received eight months with a two-year suspended sentence. The sentences for the latter two reflected that they admitted all charges and showed remorse.
Park, Choi, and Lee, who had been tried without detention, were taken into custody in court on concerns that they might flee. The court rejected Im’s application for bail; he has been standing trial in detention.
Park Sang-hyeon, former commander of the 7th Brigade of the Marine Corps 1st Division, appears at the office of Special Counsel Lee Myung-hyun in the Seocho Hanssem Building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on August 25 last year to be questioned.
Yonhap News In explaining the sentences, the court stated: “Countless service members have lost their lives in the military, but the custom of holding only low-level commanders responsible has been repeated. This case is different,” adding, “Because senior commanders recognized specific risks yet heightened them, if they are not held to account, the same accidents may recur.
” As for Im, the court noted: “He focused only on media exposure, emphasizing wearing the red Marine T-shirt and not showing smiles,” and “paid no attention whatsoever to measures to secure safety. ” In Im’s case, the fact that for about three years after the accident he shifted blame by saying that “the problem was subordinates issuing improper orders” also weighed on sentencing.
The court said: “After the accident, he instructed the public affairs chief to craft an argumnt to the effect that ‘the division commander bears no responsibility for the occurrence of the accident,’ and, prior to a search and seizure by investigators, sought to conceal circumstantial evidence that he had known about the underwater searches.
” It continued: “Throughout the lengthy investigation, while serving as division commander, he checked the statements his subordinates gave to investigators and crafted counter-narratives, focusing solely on evading and concealing his own responsibility.
” The court also noted that in December 2024 Im sent the bereaved family of Corporal Chae a lengthy email and text messages stating, “The person who ordered the underwater searches was not me but Lee Yong-min. ” The court said: “How can a perpetrator send such messages to victims?
In all our years on the bench, we had never seen such a person,” adding, “Through this highly unusual conduct, he exacerbated the victims’ psychological pain. ” For the entire one hour and twenty-three minutes of the pronouncement, Im kept his eyes on the floor and swallowed hard.
Im Seong-geun, named as the person responsible for Corporal Chae’s death in the line of duty, moves to a waiting area after completing a pre-arrest suspect hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on October 23 last year.
Moon Jae-won, Reporter Immediately after the verdict, A, Corporal Chae’s mother, who watched the ruling in the courtroom that day, choked up and said, “Your Honor, three years is far too little. We are suffering to the point of death, and Im Seong-geun must pay for never admitting his fault to the end.
” Even after proceedings concluded, A sat slumped on a bench outside the courtroom for more than thirty minutes, in tears. In the arms of other bereaved military families, she sobbed, saying, “I miss him so much” and “Our son is no longer in this world; why are all the commanders still alive? ” 한글기사 원본
Marine Corps Im Seong-Geun Former Commander Occupational Negligence Death Chae Resolution Of Charges Trial Searches Seocho Hanssem Building Central District Court Presiding Judge Cho Hyeong-Woo
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gulf migrant workers face ‘an even harsher war with Iran’Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, a 35-year-old Bangladeshi worker who had worked in Saudi Arabia for 15 years, suffered severe burns and died on March 8...
Read more »
Letting out deep sighs, he sprang to his feet when the bench said “The sentence has been set”···The moment of the appellate verdict for Han Duck-sooHan Duck-soo, a former prime minister accused of taking part in the 12·3 insurrection under former President Yoon Suk-yeol, was sentenced to 15 yea...
Read more »
US court rules Trump's 'global tax' on imports illegalA US court has ruled that the 'global tax' imposed by US President Donald Trump on imports is illegal, dealing a blow to his administration's trade policy.
Read more »
US court rules Trump's 10% 'global tariff' illegal, but only for some companiesThe US International Trade Commission (CIT) ruled that Donald Trump's 10% 'global tariff' was illegal, but only for some companies. The immediate effect is limited to the companies involved in the lawsuit and Washington state.
Read more »
Samsung Electronics Performance Bonus Dispute Persists, with Concerns over Inadequate Compensation SystemThe performance bonus dispute at Samsung Electronics is escalating, with concerns that the company's compensation system for employees is inadequate compared to those of domestic and foreign competitors. The disproportionate size of shareholder returns, such as dividends, compared to employee bonuses is also seen as distorting the 'excessive compensation' narrative.
Read more »
Former Army Special Warfare Command Commander Kim Hyun-tae Announces Run for National Assembly by-election in Incheon Gyeyang BFormer commander of the 707th Special Mission Group Kim Hyun-tae, who led troops into the National Assembly during the 12·3 insurrection, announces his intention to run in the National Assembly by-election for Incheon Gyeyang B, declaring to bring down the Lee Jae Myung administration and write a new history of the Republic of Korea.
Read more »