'Torture Technician' Lee Geun-an Loses Severance Pay Lawsuit

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Lee Geun-an, known as the 'torture technician' who tortured pro-democracy activists during the military dictatorship era, lost a lawsuit demanding unpaid retirement benefits.

According to the legal community on the 29th, Judge Park Jong-hwan of the Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 6, dismissed Lee's claim in the lawsuit he filed against the Government Employees Pension Service for payment of retirement benefits.

Lee was appointed as a police officer in July 1970 and worked until the investigation into the 'Kim Geun-tae Torture Case' began, after which he went into hiding in December 1988 and was arrested in October 1999. Lee was processed as retired in March 1989, and the Government Employees Pension Service deposited a lump sum retirement pension of approximately 17.64 million won into a designated bank.

Since Lee was wanted at the time, his spouse attempted to receive the payment, but the bank refused to pay according to the law at that time, and the retirement benefits were returned to the Government Employees Pension Service in July of that year. Consequently, Lee filed a lawsuit last year against the Government Employees Pension Service, claiming he should receive the retirement benefits and delayed interest.

The court ruled, "The right to claim the lump sum retirement pension payment had a statute of limitations of five years under the Government Employees Pension Act at that time, and the statute of limitations has already expired," dismissing Lee's claim.

Furthermore, the court added, "The reason the plaintiff did not receive the lump sum retirement pension was because he could not directly visit the designated bank due to being wanted and in hiding," and "there is no significant need to protect the plaintiff."

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