Defendant's Side Withdraws Witness Request
Cites Concerns Over Trial Delays
In the retrial of the Cyanide Makgeolli Murder Case, prosecutor B, who was in charge of the original investigation, failed to appear for the second time. The defendant's side withdrew their witness request out of concern for delays in the trial.
At the retrial hearing held on June 10, 2025, by the Gwangju High Court Criminal Division 2, B did not appear as the summons could not be delivered due to his whereabouts being unknown. B is suspected of having obtained a false confession through coercive investigation, and both the defendant and the prosecution had requested him as a witness. Park Junyoung, the defendant's attorney, stated, "We do not want the trial to be prolonged," and announced the withdrawal. The prosecution decided to attempt one more summons before determining whether to maintain their witness request.
On that day, three witnesses, including former and current police officers and a prosecution investigator, appeared in court. Retired police officer C, identified as the informant who reported the alleged inappropriate relationship between father and daughter?a key point in the prosecution's indictment?testified, "I am not familiar with the cyanide case itself." Police officer D stated, "I learned about the case from watching a broadcast." Prosecution investigator E, who participated in the recording of statements, insisted, "The investigation at the time was legitimate." The court plans to conduct additional witness examinations on July 1, 2025, and hold the final hearing on August 19, 2025.
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