Former presidential aides indicted for leaking Corporal Chae investigation details

A special prosecutor's team has indicted two former high-ranking officials without detention in connection with the investigation into the death of Corporal Chae. Lee Si-won, former secretary for public integrity at the Presidential Office, and Im Ki-hoon, former secretary for national security affairs in the National Security Office, are accused of leaking investigation information.

The indictment, announced on August 13th, also includes charges of abuse of power against Choi Ju-won, former Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Commissioner, and Roh Gyu-ho, former Superintendent of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Investigation Division. The special prosecutor's team stated that Lee allegedly received a report from a National Investigation Headquarters official regarding the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency's planned search and seizure operations at the 1st Marine Division related to Corporal Chae's case. Lee is accused of then leaking this information to Im.

Im Ki-hoon is alleged to have subsequently leaked the information to an official at the Ministry of National Defense, which eventually reached the Marine Corps. The Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency conducted its search and seizure at the 1st Marine Division on September 7, 2023, and the leak is believed to have occurred before this operation.

Previously, a request for the arrest of Lee Si-won based on these allegations was denied by the court. The court cited that there were legal points to be debated regarding the charges and that Lee's attitude, along with his attendance at other criminal trials, did not suggest a risk of flight or evidence tampering.

Meanwhile, Choi Ju-won and Roh Gyu-ho are accused of obstructing the investigative rights of Gyeongbuk Provincial Police officers. They allegedly returned investigation records to the National Defense Ministry's Prosecutor's Office, despite knowing that the records had been legitimately transferred to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police's Violent Crimes Investigation Unit and that returning them was improper.