Former Marine Corps Commandant Kim Kye-hwan appeared in court Tuesday for a detention warrant hearing as he faces possible perjury charges tied to a special counsel investigation into the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s handling of a Marine’s death during a 2023 flood rescue mission.

He is accused of lying in earlier testimony by denying that he relayed an angry rant from then-President Yoon to the lead investigator, Col. Park Jung-hun, in an attempt to influence his report.

The special counsel team claims Kim knowingly gave false testimony and poses a significant risk of evidence tampering.

Kim’s lawyer admitted that Kim had heard of the president’s angry reaction, dubbed “VIP fury,” but said it came through unverifiable rumors, not direct orders.

The case centers on suspicions that Kim interfered in the initial investigation to protect the Yoon administration.