Ministry of Justice Withdraws Appeal Against State Compensation Ruling in 'Yakkchon Five-Way Intersection Case'

After the sentencing trial in front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, criminal investigator Hwang Sang-man (left) and lawyer Park Jun-young hold a press conference.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Ministry of Justice has decided to forgo an appeal against the state compensation ruling in the 'Yakchon Five-way Intersection Murder Case,' in which a man was wrongfully imprisoned for 15 years.

The Ministry of Justice stated on the 5th, "We deeply acknowledge the state's responsibility for the victim's wrongful imprisonment and the suffering of his family," and said it made this decision to ensure prompt restitution for the victim. The ministry also added, "Once the state's responsibility is confirmed, compensation will be swiftly paid to the victim and his family, and we will continue to do our best to ensure that restitution for wrongfully harmed victims is carried out quickly."

In the early morning of August 10, 2000, around 2 a.m., Choi, then a 15-year-old boy, passing near Yakchon Five-way Intersection in Iksan City, Jeonbuk Province, discovered taxi driver Yoo (then 42) stabbed and bleeding on the ground. Although Choi witnessed the real culprit fleeing the scene, he was identified as the suspect. Choi was tried on murder charges, sentenced to 10 years in prison, and served his term. In 2003, the investigative authorities received intelligence that the real culprit was someone else and apprehended a suspect, but the case was closed due to lack of physical evidence.

After completing his sentence, Choi filed for a retrial, claiming he had falsely confessed under police coercion at the time, and was acquitted in November 2016. Subsequently, Choi and his family filed a damages lawsuit against the state and the prosecutor Kim and police officer Lee, who were in charge of the case at the time. The Civil Division 45 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Seongho Lee) ruled on the 13th of last month that the state must pay approximately 1.6 billion won to Choi and his family, with Lee and Kim bearing 20% of the total compensation. However, Lee and Kim appealed the ruling. Accordingly, this case will be reviewed by the higher court, the Seoul High Court.

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