Death in Prison Due to False Espionage Charges... Court Rules "State Must Compensate Bereaved Family"

Seoul Central District Court / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The families of victims who died while wrongfully imprisoned on espionage charges in the 1970s will receive billions of won in compensation from the government.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 29 (Chief Judge Han Jeong-seok) ruled partially in favor of the plaintiffs in a damages lawsuit filed by the family of Mr. A, who died while serving a prison sentence for violating the National Security Act, and the family of Mr. B, who was released on probation. The court stated, "Due to the state's illegal actions at the time, the victims and their families likely endured nearly 50 years of social prejudice as families of spies, as well as mental and economic suffering," and ordered the state to pay 1.38 billion won in damages to the families of Mr. A and Mr. B.

Mr. A and Mr. B were arrested by the Central Intelligence Agency in December 1970 for involvement in a spy case and were sentenced to seven years in prison and three years in prison with five years probation, respectively, for violating the National Security Act. Mr. A died in prison in February 1977 from aftereffects of torture shortly before his scheduled release. Mr. A's family filed for a retrial, and last year the retrial court acquitted him, stating that "the confession obtained through torture and coercion at the time has no evidentiary value." Mr. B, who also filed for a retrial, was acquitted last year for the same reason, and both verdicts have been finalized.

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