Marine death probe: South Korea ex-spy chief appears for questioning

Seoul, July 29 Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong appeared before a special counsel team Tuesday for questioning over allegations of government interference in an initial probe into the 2023 death of a Marine.

Cho arrived at special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's office in southern Seoul as a suspect in the case over power abuse allegations in connection with the Marine Corps' investigation in 2023.

As he entered the building, the former NIS director said he would "diligently" take part in the session but did not respond to reporters' questions.

Cho was one of the senior officials in attendance at a meeting in July 2023, where then President Yoon Suk Yeol allegedly flew into a rage upon hearing the preliminary probe results that found a senior Marine commander responsible for the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun.

Chae died earlier that month while on a mission to search for torrential rain victims, Yonhap news agency reported.

The former NIS director, who served as the national security adviser at the time, is believed to have been one of two people Yoon kept behind at the meeting before placing a call to then Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup.

He is also suspected of having called the then defence minister days later when the Marine Corps' investigation team sent the preliminary probe results to the police in defiance of orders from superiors not to do so.

The case centers on allegations that the investigation results were later changed to clear the initial suspects of responsibility.

Cho is expected to be questioned about Yoon's reaction to the initial probe results and whether he was directly involved in the alleged instructions to change its results.

The special counsel team raided Cho's home earlier this month and confiscated his cellphone, among other items.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor