Ousted President Yoon Indicted Over Alleged Manipulation of Marine Corps Drowning Probe

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has been indicted by an independent counsel who alleges he and others sought to influence the investigation into the drowning of Cpl. Chae Su-geun during a 2023 flood rescue operation.

According to the indictment, an initial Marine Corps inquiry had identified a division commander and seven other personnel as bearing responsibility for Chae’s death. Assistant special counsel Choung Min-young says Yoon reacted angrily to the commander's inclusion and that senior presidential and Defense Ministry officials then pressured the Marine Corps to revise the report to remove the commander.

Park Jung-hun, head of the Marine Corps investigation team, resisted that pressure and forwarded the original report to police. The independent counsel alleges Yoon ordered officials to retrieve the report from police, dismiss Park and open an inquiry into him on charges of insubordination.

Choung told reporters the Marine Corps investigation followed law and principle, and that the actions attributed to Yoon and the other accused officials were part of a "systematic" pattern of abuse of power that undermined the fairness and independence of the service's investigators.

Yoon, who is currently detained, has denied related allegations. He previously was removed from office after being indicted on a rebellion charge connected to a Dec. 3 declaration of martial law that triggered political turmoil. The ongoing rebellion trial could reach a verdict early next year; a conviction on that count carries the potential penalties of life imprisonment or, in South Korea's statutes for such charges, capital punishment.

Separately, prosecutors earlier this month indicted Yoon on allegations that he ordered drone flights over North Korea intended to heighten military tensions and justify the martial law declaration.

What this means

The new indictment adds to a series of criminal cases facing Yoon and could complicate any political or legal strategies he might pursue. The allegation centers on whether political pressure was applied to shield a commander and others from accountability in a high-profile military death, raising questions about civilian interference in military investigations and the independence of oversight mechanisms.

Assistant Special Counsel Choung Min-young: "The accused 'systemically' abused their authority in ways that undermined fairness and independence of the Marine Corps' investigation team."

Key figures named in the indictment include Yoon, his former defense minister and 10 other officials. The independent counsel's filing seeks to hold them accountable for alleged abuse of power related to the handling of the investigation into Cpl. Chae's death.