COMPENSATION FOR WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MAN

[Anchor Lead]

The court ordered a compensation of 1.6 billion won to a man wrongly convicted of killing a cab driver in 2000 and imprisoned for 10 years. Although 20 years have passed since the murder, the court also held accountable the police officer and the prosecutor who were in charge of the case.

[Pkg]

A cab driver was killed at Yakchon 5-way street in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do Province in 2000. Mr. Choi, who was just 15 years old at the time, made a false confession after being subjected to a harsh police interrogation and ended up serving 10 years in prison. The real culprit confessed to the crime three years later, but the prosecution did not indict him. Mr. Choi was able to prove his innocence only after completing his sentence and undergoing a new trial.

[Soundbite] MR. CHOI(WRONGLY CONVICTED OF MURDER(NOV. 2016)) : "I had no one to appeal to because nobody believed me. Nobody listened to me at the time."

In the following year, Mr. Choi and his family filed a damage compensation suit against not only the state, but also the police officer who treated him harshly during interrogation and the prosecutor who did not indict the real killer. He believes the only way to prevent innocent people from being wrongfully convicted in the future, a ruling proving his innocence would not be enough and all the illegal actions he personally experienced during the investigation should be disclosed through trial. The Seoul Central District Court accepted almost all of Mr. Choi’s requests and ruled that the state should pay 1.6 billion won to Mr. Choi and his family. The ruling also said that the police officer and the prosecutor should personally bear 20% of the total compensation. The court determined that the harsh actions of the police and the non-indictment by the prosecution were all illegal. Also, the state which should protect the people’s basic rights caused irrevocable damage to an innocent citizen's life. Mr. Choi’s attorney welcomed the court’s decision.

[Soundbite] PARK JOON-YOUNG(MR. CHOI’S ATTORNEY) : "I’m satisfied with the ruling. It’s very meaningful to have government workers bear personal responsibility. I hope an incident like this will not repeat itself."

The real culprit of the cab driver murder case was indicted later and sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Supreme Court in 2018.