Prosecution Decides Not to Appeal Kang's Case
On January 19, President Lee Jaemyung commented on the acquittal in the retrial of the late Kang Eulsung, who was executed during the Park Chung-hee regime in connection with the so-called "Reconstruction Committee of the Unified Revolutionary Party" case. He questioned, "What responsibility do the police officers, prosecutors, and judges who investigated, prosecuted, and ruled at the time bear?"
After sharing related news coverage on X (formerly Twitter) that day, President Lee stated that the investigation, prosecution, and ruling had been carried out in a tragically unjust manner.
He further pointed out that this was a belated reversal of the verdict, writing, "It is a hundred times better than not overturning it at all, but now, when even the remains have long since scattered, one must wonder."
On this day, the prosecution decided not to appeal the acquittal in the retrial of Mr. Kang, who was sentenced to death in the Unified Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Committee case. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office stated, "On October 29 last year, we requested an acquittal from the court and expressed our apologies and condolences to Mr. Kang and his family. Since the court has rendered a not-guilty verdict, we will not appeal."
The Unified Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Committee case was a public security incident announced by the Security Command in November 1974, alleging that members of the Democratic Defense Comrades Association had attempted to rebuild the party under orders from North Korea. Mr. Kang, who was a civilian employee at the time, was implicated in the case, sentenced to death, and executed in 1976. His family requested a retrial in November 2022, and the retrial was granted in February last year.
On this day, the 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court (Presiding Judge Kang Minho) acquitted Mr. Kang, who had been sentenced to death on charges including violations of the National Security Act, in the retrial sentencing hearing. The court ruled, "The investigations and court testimonies regarding Mr. Kang were conducted while he was either illegally detained by the Security Command or under its influence, and therefore cannot be considered admissible evidence."
A prosecution official stated, "We once again offer our deepest apologies and condolences to Mr. Kang and his family, who waited a long time for the process of gathering and verifying records scattered over about 50 years. As an institution dedicated to the protection of human rights, we will be even more faithful to our core duties to ensure that such incidents never occur again."
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