Ex-Marine commander gets 3-year sentence over conscript’s death

“A former Marine commander has been sentenced to three years in prison over the death of a young conscript who was swept away and killed during a river search operation in 2023. The Seoul Central District Court on Friday convicted Lim Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, of occupational negligence resulting in death and violating a military order. He was indicted over the death of Cpl. Chae Soo-geun (then a private), who was swept away by strong currents and died while taking part in a search operation for a missing resident in the Naeseong Stream in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on July 19, 2023. A panel of judges, led by Cho Hyung-woo, also handed suspended or custodial sentences to four other officers involved. Park Sang-hyun, former commander of the 7th Brigade of the 1st Marine Division, and Choi Jin-kyu, former commander of the division’s 11th Artillery Battalion, who oversaw operations in the flood-hit area, were each sentenced to 18 months in prison. Former 7th Artillery Battalion Commander Lee Yong-min, the immediate superior of the headquarters

Summary generated from the RSS feed of Korea Times Southkorea. All article rights belong to the original publisher. Click through to read the full piece on www.koreatimes.co.kr.