Police Officers Who Wrongfully Imprisoned Innocent Men for 21 Years Through Torture Finally Face Trial

False Confessions Extracted Through Torture... Victims Acquitted After 21 Years
Four Involved Police Officers Indicted for Perjury During Retrial

The police officers who led the investigation into the "Nakdong Riverside Murder Case," which resulted in innocent citizens being wrongfully imprisoned for over 20 years after being coerced into making false confessions through torture, have been put on trial for perjury committed during the retrial proceedings.

According to Yonhap News Agency on June 26, citing legal sources, the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office indicted four out of five former police officers, who had been accused of perjury, without detention. All four officers are now retired.

Earlier, the victims who had been wrongfully convicted, Choi Incheol (63) and Jang Dongik (66), filed charges against the police officers, alleging that during the retrial process, the officers had participated in torture and fabricated evidence but falsely testified in court, saying things like "I don't remember" or "That never happened."

Choi Incheol (left) and Jang Dongik, victims of the "Nakdong Riverside Murder Case" who were wrongfully imprisoned for 21 years on charges of murder, share their thoughts after the retrial verdict hearing held at the Busan High Court on February 4, 2021. Photo by Yonhap News

During the initial investigation, police referred only three of the five officers to the prosecution, while the other two were not referred. However, after the victims filed an objection, the entire case was transferred to the prosecution. The prosecution indicted two out of the three officers who had been referred, while one was not indicted. In addition, the two officers who had not been referred by police were later indicted as well. As a result, a total of four out of the five officers are now standing trial.

Park Junyoung, the victims' legal representative, stated, "It is meaningful that the prosecution corrected the police decision not to refer the officers involved in torture and harsh treatment," but added, "It is difficult to understand why one officer, who was deemed to have been deeply involved in fabricating the case, was not indicted," indicating his intention to appeal.

This indictment was made just before the statute of limitations for perjury charges expired. It was reported that some of the indicted officers were put on trial on the very day the statute of limitations was set to expire.

The Nakdong Riverside Murder Case occurred in 1990, when a man and woman were abducted by an assailant along the Nakdong River in Busan. The woman was sexually assaulted and murdered, while the man sustained serious injuries. Approximately one year and ten months after the incident, police identified Choi and Jang as the perpetrators. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment and served 21 years in prison.

However, the two men consistently maintained that their confessions had been coerced through police violence and water torture. Later, the Past Affairs Committee of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office released findings that “the suspects were fabricated through torture.” In 2021, the Busan High Court acquitted both men in the retrial. They also won a lawsuit against the state for damages, with the court ordering the government to pay a total of 7.2 billion won in compensation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.