Lee Chun-jae's Confession: Families of Missing Hwaseong Elementary Students File State Compensation Claim

"The intentional concealment by the officer in charge of the case... the only way to hold accountable"

At A Park in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, police are using equipment such as ground-penetrating radar to search for the remains of the "Hwaseong missing elementary student," confirmed to have been killed by Lee Chun-jae (56), the suspect in the Hwaseong serial murder case.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The bereaved families of the victims in the 'Hwaseong Elementary School Student Disappearance Case,' which was revealed to be the work of Lee Chun-jae 30 years after the incident, have filed a state compensation lawsuit.

Attorney Lee Jeong-do of the law firm Chambon, who is the legal representative of the bereaved families, stated in a press release on the 31st, "We filed a state compensation lawsuit at the Suwon District Court on the 30th against the illegal acts of the police officers in charge of the case who concealed and fabricated the case, including hiding the victim's body and belongings." Attorney Lee added, "Filing a state compensation claim is the only practical way to hold the police officers responsible."

The case dates back to July 7, 1989. At that time, Kim Mo (then 8 years old), a second-grade elementary school student in Taean-eup, Hwaseong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, disappeared while returning home from school. The police found Kim's backpack and clothes five months later but could not find any significant clues. The case remained unsolved for 30 years until last year when the truth was revealed through Lee Chun-jae's confession.

In particular, it was confirmed that the detective chief and detective at the time discovered Kim's belongings and the bones of both hands tied to a jump rope but downplayed the case as a simple disappearance and actively tried to conceal it by writing false investigation reports. The police have filed charges against the investigators at the time for hiding the body and destroying evidence. Earlier in January, the bereaved families filed complaints with the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency and Suwon District Prosecutors' Office against them for charges including falsification of official documents, use of false official documents, aiding a criminal, and special dereliction of duty, and investigations are ongoing. However, it is expected that due to the statute of limitations, it will be difficult for them to face significant punishment.

Regarding this, Attorney Lee said, "Due to the illegal acts of police officers who deliberately concealed and fabricated the truth of the case, the investigation into the substantive truth was delayed for over 30 years, and the bereaved families spent 30 years not even knowing whether the victim was alive." He emphasized, "If the state's responsibility is recognized through the state compensation lawsuit, the state will compensate, and the bereaved families can exercise their right of subrogation to hold the police officers responsible for this case."

The court has issued rulings applying the statute of limitations flexibly in cases where serious human rights violations were systematically and intentionally committed by state authority, even if the cases are from the past. The state’s claim of the statute of limitations is considered an abuse of rights. Attorney Lee expressed hope that "the court will take a progressive stance on the statute of limitations in this case as well," adding, "We hope this will be an opportunity to reveal the truth about the victim’s unjust death and the concealment and fabrication of the case by state authority, and to prevent recurrence of similar cases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.