Former Division Commander Im Seong-geun Sentenced to Prison in First Trial Over Chae Sang-byeong Incident

Im Seong-geun, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, who was indicted for responsibility in the death of Corporal Chae Sang-byeong, was sentenced to prison and taken into custody following the first trial. The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Im failed to exercise due diligence, such as ordering a search without safety equipment, and violated orders by continuing to command even after operational control had been transferred to another unit. The court found Im's orders to be a direct cause of the accident.

The court stated that a sufficient causal relationship was recognized between the defendant's professional negligence and the resulting outcome. It pointed out that Im 'bears the greatest responsibility for the accident' and noted that he attempted to evade and conceal responsibility after the incident.

This case is the first in the 'main' Marine Corps special prosecutor's investigation to reach a verdict in its first trial. Park Sang-hyun, former commander of the 7th Brigade, Choi Jin-gyu, former commander of the 11th Artillery Battalion, Lee Yong-min, former commander of the 7th Artillery Battalion's 'Po7' unit, and Jang, former headquarters company commander of the 7th Artillery Battalion's 'Po7' unit, who were indicted alongside Im, received suspended sentences or were given custodial sentences. Brigade Commander Park, Battalion Commander Choi, and Battalion Commander Lee, who were taken into custody, were detained due to fears of flight risk and other reasons.