The Seoul Central District Court on Friday acquitted former president Yoon Suk Yeol of charges that he appointed Lee Jong-Sup ambassador to Australia to obstruct an investigation into a marine's 2023 drowning. The court said evidence was insufficient to show intent to impede the probe. Two other aides were also cleared, though prosecutors have not ruled out an appeal. A separate indictment alleging a cover-up of the marine's death remains pending.
Seoul Court Acquits Yoon in Case Linked to Marine's Drowning; Wider Probe Continues
FILE - South Korea's ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives to attend his trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool, File)(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
SEOUL — A Seoul court on Friday acquitted former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol in a case alleging he appointed a close ally ambassador to help evade a probe into a marine's 2023 drowning, delivering a rare legal reprieve amid multiple prosecutions he faces after his removal from office.
The independent counsel had alleged Yoon intentionally named former Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup as ambassador to Australia to enable Lee's departure and to obstruct an investigation into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who drowned during a search-and-rescue operation for flood victims in 2023.
But the Seoul Central District Court found that the evidence did not clearly show the ambassadorial appointment was intended to disrupt the investigation. Yoon and his lawyers said the posting was meant to strengthen military cooperation with Australia; they praised the verdict and urged prosecutors not to appeal.
Two other defendants — Yoon's former justice minister and his presidential security director — were also acquitted in the same ruling. Prosecutors said Friday they had not yet decided whether to appeal.
FILE - Then South Korea's Minister of National Defense, Lee Jong-sup, attends the 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum in Singapore, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)(AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Separate Indictment and Ongoing Investigation
A separate indictment accuses Yoon and other aides of attempting to cover up and manipulate the inquiry into Cpl. Chae's death. The drowning sparked public outrage after reports that marines had been ordered to carry out rescue operations without life vests and other essential safety gear.
An initial marine corps investigation blamed a division commander and seven others for Chae's death. Prosecutors say Yoon expressed anger at the inclusion of the commander and that senior presidential and Defense Ministry officials pressured the marine corps to revise the report to remove the commander.
According to prosecutors, Park Jung-hun, then head of the marines' investigation team, resisted the pressure and forwarded the report to police. Prosecutors allege Yoon later ordered officials to retrieve the report from police and sought Park's dismissal; Park was investigated on insubordination charges.
Political Context And What Comes Next
Yoon was formally removed from office in April 2025 after his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. He has faced multiple criminal trials since a special investigation was authorized by President Lee Jae Myung into the martial law decree and other matters, including the marine's death.
Yoon has appealed a conviction and a life sentence on a rebellion charge linked to the December 2024 martial law order, which lasted only hours before lawmakers — breaking through a blockade of armed soldiers — voted to revoke the measure and the Cabinet lifted it. The acquittal announced Friday does not affect those other pending charges and appeals.
Note: Prosecutors may still appeal Friday's acquittal, and separate investigations into the circumstances of Cpl. Chae's death continue.
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