Seoul: The Marine Corps announced Thursday that it will reinstate a former Marine investigator, who was acquitted of insubordination charges, after leading a probe into the 2023 death of a young conscript. The decision to reinstate former Col. Park Jung-hun comes following his acquittal related to the case.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Park will be reinstated on Friday after being dismissed from his position in August 2023. The dismissal was related to an investigation into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who died during a search for missing flood victims in July 2023. The reinstatement follows a decision by a special prosecutor not to appeal a court ruling that cleared Park of insubordination.

Park was initially charged with insubordination for allegedly disobeying an order while leading the investigation into Cpl. Chae's death. He was accused of referring his findings to the police despite being ordered by superiors to hold off on the referral. However, a district court found Park innocent, ruling that he acted lawfully.

Special Prosecutor Lee Myeong-hyeon decided against appealing the court's decision, citing the indictment as an "abuse of prosecutorial power." Lee stated that Park's transfer of case records to the police was a "lawful act," supporting the court's ruling in Park's favor.