Seoul: A Seoul court sentenced a former Marine commander to three years in prison in connection with the death of a young Marine during a search mission for victims of heavy rains in 2023. Lim Seong-geun, a retired two-star general and former commander of the 1st Marine Division, was found guilty by the Seoul Central District Court for failing to uphold safety obligations during the operation.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a special counsel team had sought a five-year sentence for Lim. They accused him of negligently causing the Marine's death when he ordered the search operation in Yecheon, about 160 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in July 2023 without providing life vests and other safety equipment.

Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was involved in the operation, died after being swept away in a swollen stream. The court ruled that Lim's orders at the time increased operational risks, and he did not fulfill his professional duties of providing safety equipment. This was despite being aware of troops carrying out underwater search efforts.

The court also found Lim guilty of making orders to troops despite the mission's operational control being transferred to the Army at the time. "Due to this accident, Chae, a 20-year-old Marine, lost his precious life four months after enlisting," the court stated, noting that Lim's "unreasonable and wrongful" orders had directly led troops to enter the stream.

The court emphasized that if Lim had not intervened, the search could have proceeded normally, making him most responsible for the incident. Additionally, other Marine officials indicted in the case were sentenced, including an 18-month prison term without forced labor for Park Sang-hyun, former commander of the 7th Marine Brigade.

The special counsel team was launched last year to investigate the case, along with allegations that the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol had sought to interfere with a military probe into Chae's death. While the initial probe had named Lim as one of eight suspects in the case, a follow-up investigation by defense ministry investigators had dropped him from the list.