Former police officer Lee Geun-an, known as a “torture technician,” has been judged by the court to be responsible as the perpetrator for the damages awarded by the state to the victims of the “Kimje family spy ring manipulation case.”
The Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Conciliation Division 20 (Chief Judge Lee Se-ra) ruled in favor of the state in the garnishment lawsuit filed against Lee. The state had demanded 33.6 billion won, and as Lee did not respond to the trial, the court considered it as an admission and approved the full amount.
The Kimje family spy ring case dates back to 1982 when Choi Eul-ho, who was farming in Kimje, North Jeolla Province, was kidnapped to North Korea and upon his return, along with his nephews Choi Nak-jeon and Choi Nak-gyo, was arrested on charges of engaging in espionage activities together.
At that time, Lee Geun-an and others tortured Choi and others for about 40 days in a secret room in Namyeong-dong, Seoul, based on false confessions obtained through torture. Choi was convicted after being handed over to trial.
During this process, Choi Nak-gyo died while being interrogated by the prosecution, and Choi Eul-ho was sentenced to death and executed in October 1985. Choi Nak-jeon was sentenced to 15 years in prison, served 9 years, and then also chose to take his own life after being released.
In 2014, the families of the victims requested a retrial, and the retrial court acquitted them in 2017, acknowledging the presence of torture and cruel acts during the investigation and ruling that the prosecution statements and suspect interrogation records written through these methods could not be considered as evidence.
The Seoul Central District Court recently ruled that the state should pay damages to the victims’ families in a lawsuit demanding compensation of over 114 billion won against the state. Subsequently, the government filed a garnishment lawsuit against Lee, demanding that he assume part of the compensation amount.
Previously, Lee had been sued for damages by the families in connection with the “Hamakdo spy manipulation case,” in which false confessions were obtained through torture. He also did not present a defense, and the court recognized him as liable for the damages.
[Photo Source: Yonhap News]