Yoon Dongil's Older Brother:
"My Brother Would Also Feel Relieved"
Yoon Dongil, who was accused as a suspect in the ninth Lee Chun-jae serial murder case and died from illness after suffering harsh treatment, was acquitted in a retrial.
On October 30, the 15th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Jung Yunseop) delivered the verdict in Yoon's retrial, stating, "There is no evidence to prove the charges." The court explained, "The defendant's confession to the police cannot be considered credible, given the circumstances of illegal detention and coercive investigation," and added, "Although it is very late, we hope this retrial verdict will help restore the honor of the now-deceased defendant and offer some comfort to the bereaved family, who must have suffered greatly."
Yoon's older brother, Donggi, sat in the defendant's seat and listened to the verdict. Immediately after the ruling, he told reporters, "I was overwhelmed with emotion during the trial, and I believe my brother would feel relieved as well," adding, "I am grateful to the judges and prosecutors who declared his innocence."
In 1991, Yoon was indicted on charges of attempted rape resulting in injury and, on April 23 of that year, was sentenced by the Suwon District Court to two years and six months in prison, suspended for three years. He appealed the ruling, but all appeals were dismissed, and the original verdict was finalized in 1992.
At the time of his indictment, Yoon had been named a suspect in the ninth Lee Chun-jae murder case. Fortunately, he was cleared of the murder charge because the semen collected from the victim's school uniform did not match Yoon's blood type. However, Yoon's side argued that the investigative authorities fabricated the attempted rape resulting in injury case independently of the Lee Chun-jae case in order to indict him. As a result of this case, Yoon spent several months in prison, and after being released on probation, he was diagnosed with cancer. While battling cancer, he eventually died in 1997 at the age of 26.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated the case, announced in December 2022 that "there was evidence of illegal acts by the police during the investigation, including unlawful arrest, harsh treatment, forced confession, fabrication and concealment of evidence." The court decided to initiate a retrial in July of last year. This acquittal comes 33 years after Yoon was convicted in 1992. In 2023, Yoon's family also filed a claim for damages of over 500 million won against the state at the Seoul Central District Court.
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