▲ Lim Seong-geun (C), a retired two-star general and former head of the 1st Marine Division, appears before the special counsel team in southern Seoul, in this file photo from Oct. 31, 2025. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- A former Marine commander has appealed a three-year sentence recently upheld by an appellate court over the death of a young Marine during a search mission for heavy rain victims in 2023, sources said Tuesday.

Lim Seong-geun, a retired two-star general and former head of the 1st Marine Division, submitted the appeal to the Seoul High Court earlier in the day, according to legal sources.

The move comes four days after the appellate court upheld the lower court's ruling of a three-year sentence against 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.

A special counsel team had earlier sought a five-year sentence for Lim.

On Friday, the appeals court recognized how Lim had failed to follow through on his duty to protect the safety of the Marines, finding him guilty of occupational negligence resulting in death.

Other defendants in the case, including former 7th Marine Brigade leader Park Sang-hyun, who oversaw field operations at the scene, is also appealing his 1 1/2-year sentence.

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