Last Year, Acquittal Confirmed After Retrial
Choi In-cheol (left) and Jang Dong-ik, victims of the "Nakdong Riverside Murder Case," who endured wrongful imprisonment for 21 years after being falsely accused of murder due to police torture, are seen holding bouquets after being acquitted at the retrial sentencing hearing held at the Busan High Court on the morning of February 4 last year.
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] A court ruling has ordered compensation of 7.2 billion KRW to the victims and their families who were wrongfully imprisoned for 21 years after being falsely accused of murder.
The Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 23 (Presiding Judge Kim Dong-bin) on the 28th ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, awarding a total of approximately 7.2 billion KRW in damages to victim Jang Dong-ik (64), Choi In-cheol (61), and their families in a lawsuit against the state for wrongful accusation of robbery and murder and wrongful imprisonment for 21 years.
The court ordered the state to compensate Jang 1.95 billion KRW, Choi 1.8 billion KRW, and 14 family members of the two men between 40 million KRW and 650 million KRW each, totaling approximately 7.2 billion KRW.
On January 4, 1990, a man and woman dating by the Nakdong River were kidnapped by assailants; the woman was murdered and the man was injured. Jang and Choi were identified as suspects.
Jang and Choi claimed from the start of the prosecution’s investigation that they were tortured by the police and forced to give false confessions, but their claims were not accepted, and they were ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment. After serving 21 years, they were released in 2013 as model prisoners.
During this process, Choi’s brother-in-law testified that Choi was at his wife’s family home in Daegu on the day of the incident but was charged with perjury and detained. Choi’s spouse was also imprisoned for instructing false testimony. Both were sentenced to suspended prison terms in the first trial and were released after serving two months and one month in jail, respectively.
Later, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Past Affairs Committee announced in 2019 that the case had been fabricated through torture, and after retrial, the two were acquitted in February last year. The prosecution did not appeal, confirming their acquittal.
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