[‘Corporal Chae’ National Investigation]
Ruling Party Accepts First National Investigation in the 22nd National Assembly
Opposition: “Handling of the case changed due to external pressure from President Yoon”
Ruling Party: “Packaging the president’s opinion as anger”
Expected intense conflict over the investigation period and subjects… The Special Committee for National Investigation comprises 7 members from the ruling party and 11 from the opposition.
The ruling party’s unexpected decision to participate in the national investigation into the death of Corporal Chae is likely to lead to intense debates over the case in the National Assembly. The Democratic Party, which pushed for the investigation, is determined to scrutinize whether President Yoon Seok-yeol exerted any external pressure during the case handling process. In contrast, the People’s Power Party emphasizes that the facts revealed so far through parliamentary inquiries and audits show no signs of external pressure from the presidential office.
The ruling party has designated Yu Sang-beom, a second-term lawmaker from the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, as its secretary for the special committee, while the opposition party has selected Jeon Yong-gi, also a second-term lawmaker from the National Assembly’s operating committee. There is anticipation of a tough battle between the parties over the duration and scope of the investigation.
Corporal Chae’s death occurred in July 2023, during heavy rains in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, when a Marine was swept away while searching for missing persons. The core issue of the national investigation is whether there was any external pressure from the presidential office or the Ministry of National Defense during the process of handling the case.
The opposition is focusing on allegations of anger from President Yoon, known as the ‘VIP Rage Theory.’ It is claimed that on July 31, 2023, President Yoon expressed displeasure after being briefed about the intention to hand over General Lim Seong-geun, then commander of the 1st Marine Division, to the police, questioning, “Who would want to be a division commander if punished for incidents like this?” The opposition argues that because of this alleged external pressure from President Yoon, the Defense Ministry and the Marine Corps altered their approach to the case handling. Initially, the Marine Investigation Team, which investigated the case, attempted to forward General Lim to the police on charges of manslaughter due to negligence, but this plan was reduced following the president’s reprimand. Conversely, the presidential office states there was no display of anger, with the ruling party claiming that the president’s opinion is being exaggerated into a ‘rage theory’ to portray it as an abuse of power, countering that this is a digression from the essence of the situation.
Another point of controversy involves a former Marine investigator transferring the case files to Gyeongbuk Provincial Police on August 2, 2023, bypassing then-Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop’s order to withhold the investigation results, leading to the former investigator facing charges (for insubordination). The opposition argues that it was unlawful and improper to prosecute and dismiss the former investigator who had lawfully forwarded the case. However, the ruling party contends that the essence of the matter is the insubordination of the former investigator disregarding the legitimate order of the defense minister to defer the transfer.
Also being discussed is the process of the former minister’s departure to take up his post as ambassador to Australia amid controversies during the 21st general election back in March. The opposition wants to check the propriety of lifting the travel ban and any abuse of authority by the relevant authorities, whereas the People’s Power defends it as a public official handling official duties.
The composition of the Corporal Chae National Investigation Special Committee reflects the proportion of parliamentary seats, comprising 10 from the Democratic Party, 7 from the People’s Power Party, and 1 from a non-negotiating group. Senior lawmaker Chung Dong-young will chair the committee. Details of the investigation will be coordinated through consensus by the ruling and opposition parties. Both parties have included lawmakers from the Judiciary and National Defense Committees on the National Investigation Special Committee.
Contentious discussions are anticipated over the duration and subjects of the investigation. A Democratic Party Special Committee member stated that they intend to propose starting discussions on the investigation plan with a visit to the National Cemetery in Daejeon on the 5th. Through special committee collaboration, they plan to fine-tune specific investigation durations and overseeing organizations to include in the investigation plan. The Democratic Party is considering a 45-day period similar to the Itaewon tragedy investigation, with possible extensions if necessary. Meanwhile, a core member of the People’s Power Party remarked that “the Democratic Party’s assertions are just their claims, and discussions will start from scratch once secretaries begin talks.” The national investigation proceeds with agency reports, site visits, and hearings after preliminary research. In the Itaewon incident, reviews, site visits, and hearings were conducted after budget bill handling.