Marine Corps Special Prosecutor Seeks 5-Year Prison Term for Lim Seonggeun in Second Trial Over Private Chae’s Death

Same as the First Trial...
"Full Scope of Negligence and Degree of Responsibility Must Be Identified"

The special prosecutor team led by Lee Myeong-hyeon, which is investigating the death of Private Chae Soo-geun, has sought a five-year prison sentence in the appeals trial for Seonggeun Lim, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, who had previously been sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial.

On July 24, at the sentencing hearing of the appeals trial held by the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 4-3 (Chief Judges Jeon Ji-won, Kim In-gyeom, and Seong Ji-yong), the special prosecutor team made this request for Lim, who is on trial for occupational negligence resulting in death and injury, and for violating orders under the Military Criminal Act. For Park Sang-hyeon, former commander of the 7th Brigade, and Choi Jin-gyu, former commander of Artillery Battalion 11—who both oversaw the disaster site—the team sought two years and six months of imprisonment, respectively. This is the same sentence recommended during the first trial.

Seonggeun Lim, former commander of the 1st Marine Division. Photo by Jo Yongjun

The special prosecutor team stated, "We hope that the part deemed not guilty in the first trial will be found guilty so that the full scope of negligence and degree of responsibility will be fully identified, and a strict sentence commensurate with that responsibility will be imposed."

Lim is accused of neglecting his duty to ensure safety by ordering underwater searches without proper safety equipment at the flood site in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, in July 2023. Although operational control had already been transferred to the Army, he allegedly continued to give orders regarding search methods, exercising command authority despite the handoff.

In his final statement, Lim denied the charges, claiming he was stigmatized by politicians and the media. Private Chae's mother, who attended the trial, appealed for a harsher sentence than in the first trial, saying, "As the division commander, he must take responsibility, but he continues to evade it until the end."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.