It has been confirmed that President Yoon Suk Yeol called former defense minister Lee Jong-sup on his cell phone several times on the day that the Marine Corps investigation team gave police its initial findings in a probe into the death of a Marine.

The calls were confirmed on Tuesday as the defense team for Park Jung-hun, who led the Marine Corps’ initial inquiry into the death, obtained communications records for a military trial on Park’s alleged insubordination over the probe. 

According to the records, President Yoon called then-defense minister Lee a total of three times at 12:07 p.m., 12:43 p.m. and 12:57 p.m. on August 2 last year.

Park’s investigation team had already handed over the results of its probe to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency at the time of the calls. 

Park suspects the phone calls between Yoon and Lee were related to the defense ministry taking back the probe results from the police.