A Seoul court on January 19 posthumously acquitted a man executed 50 years ago for violating the National Security Act. The ruling, citing insufficient evidence, marks the latest correction of injustices from the Park Chung-hee era. President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over the delayed justice.
The Seoul Eastern District Court on January 19, 2026, posthumously acquitted the late Kang Eul-seong of charges under the National Security Act, for which he was executed in 1976. Kang, a civilian military worker, was arrested and tortured in 1974 by military counterintelligence for allegedly attempting to reconstruct the Unification Revolutionary Party on orders from North Korea. The underground pro-North Korea group had been uncovered and dismantled by South Korea's spy agency in 1968 during President Park Chung-hee's administration.
The court ruled there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Kang had praised or sympathized with anti-state activities merely for reading a paper published in North Korea. In its verdict, the court stated, "(Our) hearts feel heavy. Although a past wrong has been corrected, irreversible damage has already been done and the fact that it is too late leaves a sense of helplessness." It added, "We made the verdict in this case with a sense of contrition as the judiciary did not fulfill the expectations of the people," and the judge bowed his head in apology to the bereaved family.
Prosecutors had sought the acquittal in the retrial, acknowledging that procedural truth was not upheld in the original trial. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office apologized to Kang and his family, vowing to remain faithful to its core duties, and will not appeal.
Kang's eldest daughter, Jin-ok, told Yonhap News Agency by phone, "The defense ministry arbitrarily dealt with the case, and we spoke of how we should receive an apology from the defense ministry." She added, "We have fought for the past 53 years and we don't think it will happen instantly."
President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret on his X account, writing, "What responsibility do the police officers, prosecutors and judges who carried out the investigation, prosecution and rulings bear in such a brutally unjust case?" He described the ruling as a belated correction, noting that similar injustices persist today, and questioned its meaning now that "even the remains have long since been scattered."
This is the latest in a series of retrials for victims of 1970s and 1980s anti-communist security cases, with four others posthumously acquitted.
