Posthumous Exoneration for Lee In-guk After 52 Years
Lee In-guk, who was wrongfully convicted of espionage by the Army Security Command (now the Defense Security Command) in the 1970s, has been declared innocent after a retrial, 52 years later. Following this ruling, his family is set to receive criminal compensation.
On May 16, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 12-2, presided over by Judge Bang Woong-hwan, published a notice confirming that Lee's son will receive 2.75 million won as compensation for legal expenses.
Criminal compensation is a system that allows defendants who have been acquitted to claim damages from the state for losses incurred during their detention, including legal fees. This ruling pertains specifically to compensation for expenses.
Lee was arrested in January 1972 on charges of espionage. Former Army Security Command Chief Kang Chang-seong announced that 23 individuals, including Lee, were apprehended for allegedly spreading rumors and plotting to overthrow the government during a state of emergency declared by President Park Chung-hee in December 1971.
On January 17, 1972, Lee was taken into custody by Army Security Command investigators and held for two weeks under illegal detention. He was charged with acting as a fixed spy and attempting to gather state secrets, leading to a five-year prison sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court in March 1973.
In November 2022, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission determined that Lee and others had likely been subjected to coercive interrogation and violence while illegally detained, prompting Lee's family to file for a retrial in April 2023.
The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 14-1, led by Judge Park Hye-sun, ruled in February that the evidence obtained from Lee during his illegal detention was inadmissible due to torture, resulting in his acquittal.
