The second comprehensive special counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young, which is investigating remaining allegations following the three special counsel probes, has moved to detain Lee Si-won, former presidential secretary for public service ethics, in connection with allegations of external pressure on the investigation into the death of Marine Corporal Chae.
The special counsel team on the 10th requested an arrest warrant for Lee on charges of leaking official secrets, according to legal circles.
Lee is suspected of receiving a prior report on the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency's search and seizure plan in relation to the September 2023 death of the late Corporal Chae Su-geun (then a private first class) and informing the Marine Corps of it in advance.
At the time, the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency was found to have relayed the plan to search and seize the Marine Corps' 1st Division to a staff member of the presidential office's public service ethics secretariat. The special counsel team suspects that after Lee received the report, he passed the search and seizure details to an official at the Office of National Security, and that the information was subsequently conveyed to the Marine Corps via the Ministry of National Defense.
The Marine Corps special counsel team, which earlier investigated the related allegations, detected circumstances indicating that reports on the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency's investigation status were relayed through the National Office of Investigation to the presidential office and the Ministry of National Defense, and then to the Marine Corps. However, it failed to prove whether Lee received the investigation information under orders from former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The pre-detention interrogation to determine whether Lee will be arrested is scheduled to be held at the Seoul Central District Court as early as the beginning of next week.
