▲ This file photo, taken Oct. 23, 2025, shows Lim Seong-geun, a former commander of the 1st Marine Division, leaving the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul after attending his arrest warrant hearing. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- An appellate court on Friday upheld a three-year prison sentence for a former Marine commander over the death of a Marine during a search mission for heavy rain victims in 2023.

The Seoul High Court maintained the lower court's ruling against Lim Seong-geun, a retired two-star general and former head of the 1st Marine Division, convicting him of occupational negligence resulting in death.

A special counsel team had sought a five-year sentence for Lim over the death of 20-year-old Cpl. Chae Su-geun in a swollen stream during the operation in Yecheon, some 160 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in July 2023.

The appellate court recognized that Lim's orders at the time for aggressive search efforts failed to consider on-site conditions and resulted in dangerous water operations without safety guidelines or protective equipment.

The court also upheld lower court sentences for other defendants, including an 18-month prison term for Park Sang-hyun, former head of the 7th Marine Brigade, who oversaw field operations at the scene.

Chae's death sparked a major public outcry following allegations that the administration of then President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to cover up a military investigation into the incident.

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