Ministry of Justice Withdraws Appeal in 'Samrye Nara Super Incident'

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The government has decided not to appeal a court ruling that recognized the state's liability for compensation to the victims and their families who were wrongfully imprisoned as suspects in the so-called 'Samrye Nara Supermarket Incident.'

On the 19th, the Ministry of Justice stated, "The state deeply regrets the plaintiffs' suffering and has decided to forgo an appeal to ensure the plaintiffs' swift recovery from the damages."

The Samrye Nara Supermarket Incident was a robbery and murder case that occurred in February 1999 in Samrye-eup, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk Province. During the investigation, three individuals living near the crime scene were identified as suspects and served prison sentences. Later, the true culprit was revealed, and a retrial acquitting the three was finalized in 2016. Subsequently, the three wrongfully accused individuals, their families, and other victims of the Samrye Nara Supermarket Incident?a total of 16 people?filed a joint claim for damages amounting to approximately 1.96 billion KRW against the state and the prosecutors in charge of the case.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that the state and the investigating prosecutors must pay a total of 1.5 billion KRW in compensation. The total compensation amount is 1.56 billion KRW, of which the state is responsible for 1.2 billion KRW. On this day, the Ministry of Justice explained, "There is no room to dispute the state's liability for damages, and the amount of consolation money awarded in the first trial is not significantly different from amounts awarded in similar cases, considering all factors comprehensively."

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