(MENAFN) Prosecutors launched raids on South Korea's Defense Ministry and the presidential National Security Office (NSO) Thursday as part of a growing investigation into the 2023 death of a Marine during a rescue mission, according to local reports.

The operation was carried out by Special Prosecutor Lee Myeong-hyeon's team amid claims that senior military officials and presidential aides interfered with the initial inquiry into the tragic loss of Lance Corporal Chae Su-geun. Chae was tragically swept away in a swollen stream while searching for victims of severe flooding in July 2023, media reported.

Authorities are probing possible interference by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in the investigation surrounding Chae's death.

Military investigators had previously found that Lim Seong-geun, the former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, along with seven other officers, were accountable for the incident and sought to hand them over to police facing charges including negligent homicide.

The special prosecution team aims to confiscate NSO meeting records that allegedly reveal Yoon's displeasure over the military’s investigative findings, as well as documents detailing the Defense Ministry’s handling of media inquiries about the case.

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