Prosecutors Abandon Re-Appeal in Jeju 4·3 Convicts' Retrial Case

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution has decided to forgo re-appealing the court's dismissal of the immediate appeal related to the Jeju 4·3 Incident.

On the 2nd, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Considering the necessity of relief for the victims and the fact that certain standards for procedural progress were presented in the court's reasoning, we have made this decision." They added, "The appellate court assessed the procedural law (Criminal Procedure Act) applied to the hearing process for reopening the trial and provided certain standards regarding the relationship between the reopening procedure and subsequent trial procedures. Accordingly, we intend to proceed with related procedures in line with this intent."

The Jeju District Prosecutors' Office also emphasized, "We will continue to review measures to ensure the full restoration of honor and relief of rights for the victims and bereaved families of the Jeju 4·3 Incident."

Earlier, the Jeju Criminal Division 1 of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Kyung-hoon) dismissed the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office's appeal on the cases of 14 individuals, including the late Kim Cheon-jong, who were convicted in general trials related to the 4·3 Incident, on the 27th of last month.

In the dismissal ruling, the court stated, "It is questionable whether it is necessary to re-examine the victim determination process for the 14 individuals who were recognized as victims by the 4·3 Committee." It further noted, "The prosecution claims that there was no opportunity to present opinions during the decision process to reopen the trial, but in fact, the prosecution did not submit any opinions during the approximately three months from the reopening request to the decision."

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