Seoul: A Seoul court on Monday posthumously acquitted a man executed 50 years ago for allegedly attempting to rebuild an underground pro-North Korea organization in a retrial of the case. The Seoul Eastern District Court found the late Kang Eul-seong not guilty on charges of violating the National Security Act, citing insufficient evidence.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kang, a civilian military worker, was executed in 1976 after his arrest and torture by military counterintelligence authorities for allegedly attempting to reconstruct the Unification Revolutionary Party on alleged orders from North Korea in 1974. The underground organization had been uncovered by South Korea's spy agency under then-President Park Chung-hee's administration in 1968 and dismantled.
The court explained that it could not conclude that Kang praised or sympathized with anti-state activities for reading a paper published in North Korea. In a statement, the court expressed remorse, acknowledging that while a past wrong has been corrected, the damage remains irreversible, and the delay leaves a sense of helplessness. "We made the verdict in this case with a sense of contrition as the judiciary did not fulfill the expectations of the people," the court said, with an apology extended to Kang's bereaved family members.
Prosecutors had sought Kang's acquittal in the retrial, stating that procedural truth had not been upheld in the original trial. They have decided not to seek an appeal. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors Office offered an apology to the defendant and his family, committing to remain faithful to its core duties.
Kang's family has expressed their intent to seek an apology not only from the judiciary but also from the defense ministry. Jin-ok, Kang's eldest daughter, communicated to Yonhap News Agency by phone that the defense ministry had arbitrarily handled the case and that the family spoke about seeking an apology from them. "We have fought for the past 53 years and we don't think it will happen instantly," she added.
This case marks the latest in a series involving the underground organization, where the defendant was acquitted. Four other individuals accused of attempting to rebuild the pro-North Korea group have also been acquitted posthumously in retrials.