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| ▲ Choi In-cheol (left), Jang Dong-ik, and attorney Park Joon-young (middle), who were victims of the “Nakdong Riverside Murder Case”, who had been accused of murder for 21 years without being beaten by police torture, held a retrial sentence at the Busan High Court We are holding hands after finishing. | |
| Ⓒ Yonhap News |
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“I reflect deeply.”
Following the court’s apology, the police also lowered their heads belatedly. The retrial court condemned the victims who had been imprisoned for 21 years as the real offenders of the’Nakdong Riverside Murder Case (Umgung-dong double-member case)’ and sentenced them to’not guilty’. It is an official apology after 30 years of the incident.
Following apology from the retrial court, the National Police Agency also announced its position
On the 5th, the National Police Agency announced a position statement on the results of the retrial of the’Nakdong Riverside Murder Case’, saying, “I would like to express my deep consolation and apology to all the victims and families, including the applicant for retrial.” The National Police Agency said, “We are very ashamed of the failure to comply with the due process and human rights-centered investigation principles during the investigation, and we deeply reflect on the fact that it hurt the applicants for retrial.”
Article 10 of the Constitution was also mentioned again, stating that the state is obligated to ascertain and guarantee the basic human rights of an individual inviolable. The National Police Agency reflected, “It is a natural duty of the police officers with strict constitutional orders.” In the last Mars serial murder case, the police mentioned this in an apology to the victim, Yoon Seong-yeo, who was framed instead of the real criminal, Lee Chun-jae.
The National Police Agency said that the case will be “referred to as a teacher on the contrary,” such as closely analyzing the sentencing of the judgment and the problems identified during the trial process. In addition, he said, “We will make every effort to make sure that there are no unhappy victims again.”
The’Nakdong Riverside Murder Case’ is a case in which President Moon Jae-in received attention as a lawyer for the appeals and appeals of defendants as a lawyer in the past. President Moon once said, “It is the most difficult case in his 35 years as a lawyer.”
On January 4, 1990, a man and woman in a car on the banks of the Nakdong River in Sasang-gu, Busan, were kidnapped by gangsters, and among them, a woman was brutally killed after being raped. Men were also injured. At the time, the criminal was not found, but the police arrested Choi In-cheol and Jang Dong-ik as murder suspects a year and 10 months later.
During the investigation, prosecution, and trial process, there have been several opportunities to correct the case. Choi and others continued to insist that they made false confession through torture and assault, but the prosecution and court refused to accept it. Eventually, the two men spent 21 years and 5 months in jail with the decision of life imprisonment in 1993.
Choi and Jang, who were released as exemplary prisoners in 2013 after a long service, requested retrial with the help of lawyer Park Joon-young. As the past son-in-law of the Great Sword who investigated the case in 2019 admitted the manipulation, the related trial was in rapid succession. On January 6th, the Busan High Court accepted it, saying, “There are enough reasons for retrial.” On the 4th sentence after a month, the retrial court sentenced them to’not guilty’ for charges of special robbery, rape, robbery, and confinement. The court ruled that illegal arrest and torture in the investigation process were recognized.
The judiciary and police have repeatedly apologized, but the victims are in a position that punishment for torture police officers should follow. Immediately after the sentence, Mr. Choi met with reporters and urged the torture police to disclose their real name, saying, “How will you forgive them?” He exclaimed, “Why don’t the victims disclose the victims, but the police do not disclose them?” Attorney Park Joon-young also announced his position to sue for perjury and to claim national compensation in the future.