Will the Promotion of the Police Officer Who Was Promoted for Arresting the Nakdong Riverside Murder Case and Samrye Nara Super Be Canceled After 'Not Guilty' Retrial?

One Promotion Each
Five Police Officers Promoted for Arresting Yoon Seong-yeo, Suspected Real Culprit in 'Lee Chun-jae 8th Case,' Have Promotions Canceled
Precedent Set... Promotion Cancellations Seem Justified

Choi In-cheol and Jang Dong-ik, the victims of the 'Nakdonggang Riverside Murder Case' who were wrongfully imprisoned for 21 years under the false charge of murder after enduring police torture, are seen holding hands after the retrial verdict hearing held at the Busan High Court on February 4.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The cancellation of promotions for five police officers who arrested Yoon Seong-yeo (54), who was falsely accused as the real culprit in the 'Lee Chun-jae 8th case' and later acquitted through retrial, has drawn attention to other cases where acquittals were also granted in retrials.

A representative retrial case is the 'Nakdong Riverside Murder Case.' On January 4, 1990, a man and woman in their 30s parked in a car on the Nakdong Riverside road in Eomgung-dong, Busan, were threatened by two assailants with a gas gun and other weapons. The woman was sexually assaulted and murdered, while the man was beaten but miraculously survived. The police arrested Choi In-cheol and Jang Dong-ik in November of the following year. They were sentenced to life imprisonment and spent 21 years wrongfully imprisoned before being released as model prisoners.

However, it was revealed that there were illegal arrests and detentions by the police, as well as harsh acts such as torture and assault to extract false confessions. On February 4 of this year, Choi and Jang were acquitted in a retrial. After the retrial verdict, the police issued a statement saying, "We offer our deepest condolences and apologies to the victims and their families," and added, "We deeply regret that we failed to comply with due process and human rights-centered investigation principles during the investigation, and we sincerely reflect on the great pain caused."

In particular, it became known that one of the police officers who arrested Choi and Jang was promoted, leading to growing calls for that promotion to be revoked as well. Police Chief Kim Chang-ryong stated regarding the cancellation of the promotion, "We are reviewing and analyzing the facts and legal relationships related to the Nakdong Riverside Murder Case," and added, "We will handle it according to procedures based on the results of legal consultation."

There are other cases where police officers were promoted after acquittals in retrials. One such case is the so-called 'Samnye Nara Supermarket Robbery and Homicide Case' that occurred in 1999 in Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk. Three people accused as perpetrators were sentenced to 3 to 6 years in prison for allegedly causing the death of an elderly woman named Yoo Mo by taping her mouth shut, and they completed their sentences. In 2015, they filed for retrial claiming "false confessions due to coercive investigation." This case also confirmed coercive acts by investigative agencies, and the real culprit confessed to the crime, confirming their innocence. On October 28, 2016, they were finally acquitted in the retrial. It is reported that one police officer was promoted in this case as well.

Since precedents have already been established, it is expected that the cancellation of promotions for the relevant police officers will not be difficult. Regarding the five police officers who arrested Yoon Seong-yeo, the National Police Agency held a review committee on March 31 and made the final decision to cancel their promotions. However, there is regret that benefits such as pensions gained through the promotions have not been recovered. On this, Chief Kim explained, "Since the subjects had already retired or passed away long ago, there were legal and practical limitations in taking legal or administrative actions," but added, "To make it clear that such incidents must never be repeated, we unprecedentedly canceled the promotions and recorded it as historical reflection and a lesson."

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