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Yoon acquitted in case related to South Korean marine’s drowning in a rare legal reprieve

  • On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court acquitted former President Yoon Suk Yeol of abuse of power charges that he appointed former Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup as ambassador to Australia to evade a criminal investigation into a marine's death.
  • Special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon had alleged Yoon appointed Lee to help him flee the country and obstruct the investigation into the 2023 drowning death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun during a search-and-rescue operation.
  • The court ruled it was unclear whether the appointment intended to disrupt the probe; it also acquitted former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and the presidential security director of collusion charges.
  • Yoon's lawyers welcomed the verdict, citing military cooperation with Canberra as the appointment's purpose, while prosecutors have not yet decided whether to appeal the decision.
  • Despite this reprieve, the former president remains entangled in multiple criminal trials, including an appellate case regarding his 2024 martial law imposition for which he received a life sentence in February.
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32 Articles

Lean Right

Court finds Yoon Suk Yeol not guilty of helping former defense minister evade investigation by appointing him ambassador to Australia

·Ankara, Türkiye
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Lean Left

Former President Yoon Seok-yeol is facing charges of aiding and abusing power for allegedly attempting to help a former defense minister, who is suspected of pressuring the investigation into the 2023 death of a Marine in southeastern South Korea, escape abroad…

·Tokyo, Japan
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연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency broke the news in Seoul, Korea (the Republic of) on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
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