Court Issues Consecutive Not Guilty Verdicts in Retrial Cases of 'Violation of Martial Law Act'

Those who were convicted of violating the Martial Law Act are being acquitted one after another through retrials.

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According to the legal community on the 19th, the Seoul Central District Court acquitted all defendants who were tried and convicted for violating the Martial Law Act in their respective retrial cases.

Mr. A was convicted of violating the Martial Law Act for holding a rally after the emergency martial law was declared following the ‘10·26 Incident.’ Subsequently, the prosecution requested a not guilty verdict for Mr. A in the retrial, based on the ruling that the martial law proclamation at the time was unconstitutional and illegal, infringing on the basic rights of the people, and therefore invalid.

Additionally, in the retrial of Mr. B, who was convicted in 1981 for violating the Martial Law Act related to the ‘5·18 Gwangju Democratization Movement,’ the prosecution also requested a not guilty verdict, citing that his actions constituted a legitimate act opposing crimes that destroy the constitutional order.

The Seoul Central District Court acquitted both cases in accordance with the prosecution’s request.

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