Family of '5.18 Last Wanted Person' Yoon Hanbong Wins Mental Damage Compensation Lawsuit

Responsibility for 12 Years of Illegal Wanted Status Recognized
"Mental Anguish Caused by Life in Hiding"

The late Yoon Hanbong, known as the "last fugitive of May 18."

The court has acknowledged the state's liability for damages regarding the late Yoon Hanbong, the last wanted person of the May 18 Democratization Movement.

On the 27th, Chief Judge Chae Seungwon of the Civil Division 1 at the Gwangju District Court ruled in a damages lawsuit filed by Yoon's bereaved family against the state, stating, "The defendant shall pay 100 million won."

The court stated, "The new military regime led by Chun Doohwan attempted to unlawfully arrest Yoon Hanbong during the process of destroying the constitutional order," and added, "Maintaining his wanted status for 12 years was an illegal act." The court also determined, "He must have suffered considerable mental anguish during his time in hiding."

Yoon was arrested in 1974 as the chief leader of the Jeonnam and Jeonbuk regions during the Mincheonghakryeon incident and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released the following year on a stay of execution, but was repeatedly imprisoned and on the run for violations such as Emergency Measure No. 9.

During the May 18 events in 1980, he was listed as a key figure in the student movement and became a wanted man. In April 1981, fearing he could be executed if caught, he stowed away on a cargo ship. He survived for over 40 days on honey and bread as he made his way to the United States.

In the United States, he established the Korean Community School and the Korean American Youth Association, continuing the movement for unification and democratization. He returned to Korea in 1993 after the last May 18-related wanted status was lifted. Afterwards, he devoted himself to carrying on the spirit of May 18, leaving a significant mark in the history of Korea's democratization movement.