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In 1970, the bereaved families of the victims of the so-called'ongnyon espionage case requested a retrial, and the court accepted it. However, the prosecution opposed the retrial, saying that the judiciary's past judgments should not be negated by the slightest suspicion.

Reporter Ha Jeong-yeon will tell you the details.

<Reporter>
The late Mr. Han Sam-taek, a father of five children, who worked as a teacher at a junior high school on
Jeju Island,

was arrested in 5 as a suspect in violating the National Security Law and taken to Seoul.

He was convicted of exchanging correspondence with an official of'ongnyon in Japan from Jeju Island and receiving 1970,63 won.

In February, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that police had obtained false confessions through unlawful detention and torture and recommended a retrial to the state.

The bereaved family also requested a retrial and the case was transferred to the court, but the prosecution opposed the retrial, saying, "It is difficult to say that it has been proved that there was abusive behavior or that a false confession was made."

The opinion also stated that "our country's legal professionals conducted investigations, prosecutions, and trials to the best of their ability under the circumstances of the times," and that "the judgment that has been confirmed by the Supreme Court should not be denied by the slightest doubt."

The court dismissed the request and decided to start a retrial on the 2th, saying, "Illegal detention prior to the issuance of the arrest warrant is recognized."

The prosecution immediately appealed, and the bereaved family protested.

[Choi Jung-kyu/Bereaved Counsel: I think it is inappropriate to file an appeal immediately without such new evidence to overturn the decision to retry.]

Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok ordered a direct retrial of the case of the abducted fishermen on 15 February, a day after the decision to retry the case, emphasizing that "if there is a fault, we should not be reluctant to fix it."

It remains to be seen if the prosecution will continue its appeal.

(Video Interview: Yang Ji-hoon, Video Editing: Park Chun-bae, CG: Kim Han-gil, Lee Jong-jung)