Top court upholds 3-year term for ex-commander in case of Marine’s 2023 death

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a three-year prison term for a former Marine commander for negligently causing the death of a young Marine in 2023.

Lim Seong-geun, former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, was convicted of causing death or injury through occupational negligence and violating orders under the Military Criminal Act, in connection with the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun and the injury of other Marines during search operations for heavy rain victims in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang, in July 2023.

The top court upheld a lower court's three-year sentence for Lim, ruling there were no errors in the interpretation of the law.

Lim was indicted by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team in November of last year for allegedly sending the Marines on the search mission without providing life vests and other safety equipment.

He was also indicted for allegedly disobeying orders to transfer operational control to the Army during the search.

In a separate case, the Supreme Court also finalized an 18-month prison sentence for Kang Eui-gu, a former presidential secretary who served former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Kang was found guilty of creating a false official document by drafting a cover for Yoon's martial law proclamation three days after it was declared on Dec. 3, 2024.

According to special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team, the cover was meant to make it appear that the declaration followed legal procedures, with the signatures of Cabinet members.

Kang was also convicted of unlawfully destroying presidential records by discarding the cover after then-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo noted it could cause problems if discovered.

Yonhap