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Actor Park Sung-woong to testify in trial on perjury concerning Marine's death

Published: 28 Jan. 2026, 16:01 Updated: 28 Jan. 2026, 17:53

Actor Park Sung-woong attends an export strategy meeting at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul [YONHAP]

Actor Park Sung-woong is set to testify in the perjury trial that has revived scrutiny regarding Lee Jong-ho, the former Blackpearl Invest CEO widely known as a close associate of ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee, and his alleged lobbying.

The special counsel team investigating the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun requested Park to appear as a witness at the second pretrial hearing of former Marine Corps 1st Division Commander Lim Seong-geun's perjury trial on Wednesday.

Park told the special counsel team in September 2025 that a dinner took place in 2022 at an unspecified location in Seoul’s Gangnam District, where he had a meal with Lee, Lim and others.

The special counsel’s probe centers on allegations that Lee lobbied to shield Lim from legal scrutiny during the investigation into Chae’s death. Lim and Lee have maintained that they had no prior relationship, but Park’s alleged statement undercuts that claim.

Chae drowned in July 2023 during a search and rescue operation following severe flooding in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang. Lim, who was the commander at the time, was not initially investigated.

Actor Park Sung-woong speaks during a press screening for the comedy film ″Woong Nam″ at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul on Jan. 27. [CJ CGV]

However, the special counsel team concluded that his testimony was false and indicted Lim in November 2025 on charges of perjury under the Act on Testimony and Appraisal Before the National Assembly.

Lim also faces a separate perjury allegation tied to a National Assembly hearing in July 2024, when he was asked to provide the passcode for his phone for forensics. He claimed that he “did not remember” his own password.

The special counsel team judged the statement as false in October 2025, citing the fact that Lim later “miraculously remembered” the numbers and provided the passcode ahead of an arrest warrant hearing.

The court said on Wednesday that pretrial proceedings have concluded and witness examinations will begin on March 11. Park is scheduled to testify at 10 a.m. on March 25.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]