"Lee Chun-jae's 20 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment, Court Orders State to Pay 1.8 Billion Won Compensation"

On December 17, 2020, at the Suwon District Court in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province, Yoon Seong-yeo, the petitioner for retrial in the 8th case of the Lee Chun-jae serial murders, was acquitted and is leaving the courtroom. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Yoon Seong-yeo (55), who was wrongfully imprisoned for 20 years after being falsely accused of the 8th case committed by serial killer Lee Chun-jae, will receive over 1.8 billion KRW in state compensation.

On the 16th, the Civil Division 45 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Kyung-soo) ruled partially in favor of Yoon in the first trial of the damages claim lawsuit against the state, stating, "The illegal arrest and detention by the police, harsh treatment, and the illegality of the National Forensic Service's examination process and results were recognized."

Furthermore, the court ordered the state to pay Yoon 1,869,110,000 KRW and also to pay 100 million KRW each to his three siblings, including the inheritance share of their deceased father. However, the illegality of the prosecution's investigation was not recognized due to lack of evidence.

On the day, Yoon told reporters, "Having spent such a long time there, I never even dreamed that a day like this would come," and expressed gratitude, saying, "I thank the judiciary for their wise judgment."

Previously, Yoon was arrested in July of the following year on charges of sexually assaulting and murdering Park Mo (then 13 years old) in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, in 1988. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial. He appealed, claiming "a false confession due to police coercion," but ultimately served 20 years and was paroled in 2009.

However, Lee Chun-jae confessed in October 2019 that he was the true culprit of the serial murder cases. Yoon filed for a retrial, and in December 2020, he was acquitted in the retrial. It was 32 years after the incident occurred.

In February last year, the Suwon District Court ordered the payment of approximately 2.517 billion KRW in criminal compensation to Yoon. This is paid reflecting the days of detention to a defendant who has been acquitted. This amount is separate from the compensation Yoon will receive from the damages claim lawsuit on this day.