South Korea: Special counsel tries to raid ex-President Yoon's home in Marine death probe

Seoul, July 11 (IANS) A special counsel team on Friday began to carry out a warrant to search the home of former President Yoon Suk Yeol as part of its investigation into alleged interference of an initial probe into the 2023 death of a Marine conscript.

The team arrived at Yoon's home in southern Seoul and is currently working out details over the raid with the former president's lawyers, according to Choung Min-young, an assistant special prosecutor at the team.

The investigation centers on allegations that high-ranking officials, including Yoon, interfered in the military's probe into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was swept away by a swollen stream during a search for torrential rain victims in July 2023.

Yoon, who is a suspect in the case on abuse of power charges, is currently detained at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, just south of Seoul, after a court issued a warrant for his arrest early Thursday over his failed martial law bid, Yonhap news agency reported.

The team's investigation has focused on allegations that Yoon became enraged and took issue with the results of the military probe into Chae's death, which found a senior Marine commander responsible.

After the alleged incident, a media briefing on the investigation was canceled, while military investigators were ordered to stop transferring the case to the police.

Choung said the team would investigate details of the meeting and the alleged instructions made at the time.

Meanwhile, the team also raided the home of former Director of the National Intelligence Service Cho Tae-yong, who was present at the meeting when Yoon allegedly vented his anger, among other locations earlier in the day.

The move came after the team raided the defense ministry, the presidential National Security Office and other locations on Thursday.

--IANS

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