Ex-spy chief acknowledges Yoon's outburst during questioning in Marine death probe
Cho made the admission during questioning by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team Tuesday as a suspect over allegations of government interference in the Marine Corps' investigation into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun in July 2023, according to the sources.
Chae was swept away by an overflowing stream while on a search mission for torrential rain victims.
Cho was one of the senior officials who attended a meeting that month when Yoon allegedly erupted in anger upon hearing the preliminary probe results that found a senior Marine commander responsible for Chae's death.
The case centers on allegations the investigation results were later changed to clear the initial suspects of responsibility.
Cho had previously claimed at the National Assembly in August 2023 that the meeting did not involve a briefing on Chae's death and denied that Yoon had become enraged.
With Cho's admission, four of the seven people who attended the meeting have now acknowledged Yoon's alleged outrage during questioning. The special counsel team plans to question the meeting's three other participants soon. (Yonhap)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
FM Cho says Lee-Trump summit unlikely to be delayed to next month
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Sunday last-minute coordination to set a date for a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump is under way, noting the envisioned meeting will not be delayed to next month. Last week, Trump announced that Lee will visit the White House in two weeks, as he announced Washington has agreed to lower "reciprocal" tariffs on South Korea to 15 percent from the proposed 25 percent in return for massive investments and market opening. Cho made the remark as he arrived in Seoul after back-to-back visits to the United States and Japan for his first talks with his counterparts since the launch of the Lee administration in June. Cho said his US visit, which included meetings with senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, served as an occasion to reaffirm Washington's commitment to extended deterrence. "(We) reaffirmed the steadfast South Korea-US combined response posture, and extended deterrence and agreed to continue to cooperate going forward," Cho said. When asked about the Trump administration's push to "modernize" the alliance, Cho said the move involves taking various necessary measures, such as strengthening defense capabilities in the face of a stern international security environment, while brushing off concerns such push will affect Seoul's ties with China. Cho said in-depth talks over a possible role change of US troops in South Korea did not take place, saying the two sides agreed to discuss additional matters in working-level talks going forward. Addressing the possibility the US may seek to reset security issues following the tariff deal, Cho said he believes the allies could reach mutually beneficial agreements in the defense sector. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
FM Cho meets US senators, White House officials after tariff deal
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has met US senators and White House officials to discuss alliance and security issues, including North Korea's nuclear program, his ministry said Saturday, after the two countries reached a tariff deal this week. Cho met Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and spoke with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) by phone Friday during his visit to Washington for talks with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, earlier in the week, according to the ministry. Cho noted that the tariff deal the two countries reached will serve to deepen their "strategic" economic cooperation, and asked the senators for their support for science and technology cooperation in various sectors, such as artificial intelligence. The senators expressed expectations that the alliance will further deepen through the deal and vowed support so that South Korean investments lead to progress in major areas of cooperation, such as shipbuilding and manufacturing, according to the ministry. Under the deal announced Wednesday (US time), Washington agreed to lower "reciprocal" tariffs on South Korea to 15 percent from an earlier proposed rate of 25 percent, while Seoul agreed to $350 billion in investments in the US, among other commitments. Cho also met White House officials, including Andrew Baker, national security adviser to Vice President JD Vance, and Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, on Friday. During his talks with Hassett, Cho asked for Washington's support for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that South Korea will host in late October. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Pro-labor, broadcast reform bills to be put to vote next week
Several contentious bills, including one pro-labor bill and three aimed at reducing government influence over public broadcasters, will be put to a vote at the National Assembly next week after a parliamentary standing committee approved them on Friday. The Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, voted in favor of passing the three broadcasting bills and the pro-labor bill dubbed the 'Yellow Envelope Law' during a meeting. All four bills are sponsored by the ruling party and the liberal Lee Jae Myung administration. With 16 of the 18 committee members in attendance, all bills passed after 10 voted in favor, with six abstentions. Of the total 18 members, 10 are lawmakers of the ruling party, including the committee's chair, Rep. Lee Choon-suak of the Democratic Party. Seven are main opposition People Power Party lawmakers, while one is a member of the minor progressive Rebuilding Korea Party. Committee members belonging to the People Power Party vocally protested during Friday's vote. Democratic Party members, however, refused to hold a debate over the bills despite the main opposition's request. The bills will be put to a vote during a parliamentary plenary session scheduled for Monday. The People Power Party announced plans to launch a filibuster to delay the passage of the legislation. The 'Yellow Envelope Law' is a revision to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act that focuses on restricting companies from claiming damages against legitimate disputes involving labor unions. The nickname stems from the donations that the public sent to support SsangYong Motor workers in 2014, after they were laid off and faced court orders to compensate their employer for the damages made to company properties during a strike. South Korean business lobby groups, the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea and the European Chamber of Commerce have all voiced concerns that the passage of the bill could prompt foreign companies to withdraw from the Korean market. Meanwhile, the amendments to the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act aim to increase the number of board directors at public broadcasters KBS, MBC and EBS, respectively. The set of bills quintessentially seeks to reform the governance structure of the public broadcasters by reducing the government and the National Assembly's power to name the board directors. The opposition claims the restructuring aims to reinforce the influence of labor unions. All four bills were previously vetoed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol when he was in office, after the Assembly at the time, led by then-main opposition Democratic Party, passed them.
