South Korea imposes fresh exit ban on ex-defense minister in Marine death probe

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - A special counsel team in South Korea has imposed a fresh exit ban on former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and two ex-military commanders as part of its probe into the military's response to the death of a Marine in 2023, local media reported Thursday.

The team, led by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon, told reporters that Lee along with former Marine Corps Commandant Lt. Gen. Kim Kye-hwan and Lim Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, have been barred from leaving the country pending the investigation, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Lee is at the center of allegations that the government at the time, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol, interfered in an investigation into the death of Lance Corporal Chae Su-geun, who drowned during a search mission in July 2023 while searching for flood victims in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province amid heavy rain.

Kim and Lim have also been implicated in the case.

All three men were previously placed under exit bans by the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, but the special counsel team renewed the measures after the case was transferred to them.