Col. Park cleared of defamation and insubordination charges

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea expressed its support for the court's decision on Thursday to acquit former Marine Corps investigation chief Col. Park Jung-hoon of charges, including insubordination, related to the death of Marine Corp. Chae. The DPK welcomed the ruling, calling it “the triumph of truth and justice.”

The opposition party also reiterated its claims of alleged interference in the investigation by President Yoon Suk Yeol, stating, “Now, it is imperative to thoroughly probe into how Yoon, the ringleader of treason, intervened in the investigation.” The ruling People Power Party said that it “respects the ruling” but countered by asserting, “Not a single line in this ruling supports the claims of investigative interference.”

“This verdict shows that no matter how hard you try to conceal it, the truth will come out and always prevail,” Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said in a statement. Lee accused the administration of defying public calls for transparency regarding Chae’s death and criticized the prosecution’s decision to charge Park. “The wrongful indictment of Col. Park caused immense suffering to many," he said. "Those responsible for this prosecutorial overreach must be investigated and held accountable."

Democratic Party of Korea spokesperson Park Kyung-mee intensified the rhetoric in a written briefing, labeling President Yoon as the “mastermind of investigative interference.” She pledged to push for a parliamentary inquiry and a special prosecutor to uncover “how the ringleader of insurrection (the president) attempted to bury the truth of a soldier’s death and ruined his life.”

“The court found it difficult to prove whether then-Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan explicitly ordered Park to withhold the case transfer,” People Power Party spokesperson Ho Joon-seok argued in a commentary. “Since it is unclear whether such an order even existed, it cannot be considered ‘insubordination.’”

“This is entirely different from the alleged ‘investigative interference,’ a narrative pushed by the DPK,” Ho said, urging the party to stop misrepresenting the court’s ruling and apologize for their past false claims.


안규영 kyu0@donga.com