SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - South Korean Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho on Monday called for abolishing the statute of limitations for crimes committed by the state, saying those responsible for torture and other forms of state violence must be held accountable regardless of how much time has passed.
In a post on X, Jung referred to the so-called Nakdong River murder case, a wrongful conviction that was overturned in a retrial after two men spent more than two decades in prison for a killing they did not commit.
"There should be no statute of limitations for crimes committed by the state," Jung wrote. "Those who committed crimes against humanity through state violence must be punished, and we must firmly establish the principle that there is no statute of limitations for justice."
The minister also apologized to the victims, Choi In-cheol and Jang Dong-ik, saying they had endured more than 30 years of suffering.
"I sincerely apologize for your sufferings of more than 30 years," Jung wrote. "The Ministry of Justice will do its utmost to ensure that no citizen ever becomes a victim of fabricated criminal cases."
The case stems from the Jan. 4, 1990, abduction of a man and a woman near the Nakdong River in the southeastern city of Busan. The woman was killed and the man survived with injuries.
Police accused Choi and Jang of the crime after allegedly extracting false confessions through torture. Both men were sentenced to life imprisonment and spent 21 years behind bars before being released.
They later sought a retrial, and the Busan High Court acquitted them in February 2021.
During the retrial proceedings, Choi and Jang filed perjury complaints against five police officers who testified as witnesses. Prosecutors indicted four of the officers on June 25, one day before the statute of limitations on perjury expired.
Jung said the perjury charges were the only remaining legal avenue to pursue accountability because the statute of limitations had already expired for the alleged torture and fabrication of evidence.
He urged the National Assembly to consider legislation eliminating the statute of limitations for crimes involving state violence, noting that President Lee Jae Myung has repeatedly emphasized the need to hold perpetrators of such acts accountable.
"State violence not only destroys an individual's life but also undermines society's trust in the justice system," Jung wrote. "We must establish a just Republic of Korea where no one falls victim to fabricated criminal cases."
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