Court Acquits Former Lawmaker Ugapjong in Retrial for Anti-New Military Regime Rally

Court: "Acts resisting constitutional order destruction crimes committed by Jeon Du-hwan and others are not guilty"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] The late former National Assembly member Yoo Gap-jong, who was sentenced to prison for organizing a rally criticizing the new military regime led by Chun Doo-hwan in 1980, was acquitted in a retrial held seven years after his death.

The Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Jeong In-jae) announced on the 10th that Yoo was acquitted in the retrial on charges of violating the martial law proclamation.

The court stated, "It has been established that the acts committed by Chun Doo-hwan and others, who seized military command through a military coup and were involved in the May 18 Democratic Movement, constitute crimes of rebellion under the Military Penal Code and crimes of insurrection under the Criminal Code, which are offenses against the constitutional order. While it is recognized that the accused committed the acts as described in the indictment, these acts were committed or opposed in resistance to the constitutional order-destroying crimes committed by Chun Doo-hwan and others, in order to protect the constitutional order that includes the basic order of liberal democracy and the fundamental rights of the people," explaining the reason for the verdict.

Former Assembly member Yoo served as the chairman of the Unification Committee under the Democratic Unification Party in 1980 and was charged with holding an unauthorized rally criticizing the new military regime on the afternoon of May 11 of that year at Jeongeup Station Square in Jeongeup-gun, Jeonbuk Province (now Jeongeup City).

He was also accused of hanging banners with slogans such as "Yushin collaborators, repent and self-destruct the remnants" and distributing leaflets with the same content through party members.

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