Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was acquitted on Friday in a case related to a marine’s drowning death in a rare reprieve in one of the criminal cases brought against him following his ousting for imposing martial law.
The independent counsel’s indictment had alleged Yoon deliberately appointed former defence minister Lee Jong-Sup as his ambassador to Australia to help him leave the country and evade a criminal investigation into the death of Corporal Chae Su-geun, who drowned during a search-and-rescue operation for flood victims in 2023.
But the Seoul Central District Court ruled it was unclear whether Yoon’s appointment was intended to disrupt the investigation. Yoon said he appointed Lee as ambassador to promote military cooperation with Canberra, and his lawyers welcomed the court’s verdict while calling on prosecutors not to appeal.
Yoon’s former justice minister and presidential security director were among other defendants also acquitted of charges that they colluded with Yoon to help Lee sidestep the investigation. Prosecutors did not immediately say whether they would appeal against Friday’s verdict.
A separate indictment alleges Yoon and other officials tried to cover up and manipulate the investigation into Chae’s death, which sparked a public uproar after it emerged that military commanders had ordered soldiers to conduct search operations without life vests and other safety equipment.