"The Real Perjurer Is the Police"... Who Was Driving That Day?

Who is the one who did not tell the truth?

On SBS's "Unanswered Questions" broadcast yesterday (July 25), the truth behind a car accident that altered the fates of three individuals was traced.

Around 3:30 PM on September 28, 2003, a traffic accident occurred at a rural three-way intersection in Yeongbuk-myeon, Pocheon.

A vehicle making a left turn crashed straight into a utility pole located at the street corner, resulting in the driver's death the following day and leaving the passenger in the front seat severely injured and in a coma.

Four months later, passenger Lee Su-jae miraculously regained consciousness, but suffered permanent disabilities, including a fractured skull, and was barely able to discharge from the hospital a year after the accident.

However, police officers visited him one day and arrested him, claiming that he was the driver of the accident vehicle.

Emergency responders and a private ambulance driver who rushed to the scene at the time testified that a person named Choi, wearing dark clothes, was in the front passenger seat, while Lee Su-jae, wearing bright clothes, was in the driver's seat.

Furthermore, a police officer from the traffic investigation unit also claimed that upon arriving at the scene, he witnessed the front passenger before rescue efforts and checked his wallet, where he confirmed the name Choi on an identification card.

Ultimately, Lee Su-jae was sent to the prosecution and convicted. However, Lee was not the only one facing punishment. Jeon Yeong-do and Seong Gi-su, who claimed to have witnessed the traffic accident at the time, testified that they saw Lee Su-jae as the passenger in the accident. Because this testimony was deemed perjury, they were arrested for perjury and even served prison time.

In response, both Lee Su-jae and the two individuals punished for perjury filed for a retrial, appealing their grievances. Notably, the son of Jeon Yeong-do, who passed away before the retrial was accepted, drew attention by raising his voice to say, "The real perjurer is the police."

Meanwhile, the 119 emergency response log recorded the front passenger as "Lee Su-jae" rather than "Choi," and the medical records of the two individuals transported to the same hospital at five-minute intervals left suspicious gaps. Amid conflicting statements, who on earth is telling the truth?

After tracking down leads, the production team met with the private ambulance driver from that day. He recoiled in disgust when the incident was brought up. He stated that the person he transported was Lee Su-jae, noting that the individual had a wart on his face.

However, his past statement only recalled the clothing. In particular, the driver only remembered the clothes of the person transported later, rather than the person he actually carried.

Additionally, the traffic investigation police officer claimed that only the passenger remained at the scene and that he pulled out a wallet to check the ID, stating that the passenger's body was wedged inside the vehicle. However, this contradicted records and accounts from witnesses at the time. Neither the passenger nor the driver had their bodies wedged into the vehicle, and there was no record of vehicle doors being forcibly opened.

Consequently, the production team attempted to interview Park, the traffic investigation police officer at the time, but he ultimately refused to answer.

That was not the only strange thing. Medical records from the time showed that the person brought in a coma state was Choi, but the coma record written by the nurse conflicted with the description of a lethargic state written by the doctor. Regarding this, an expert stated, "There is almost no possibility of going from a coma to improving into a lethargic state."

The production team asked multiple experts to review the medical records of both individuals, and they analyzed that there is a high possibility the medical records were swapped.

In addition, the production team simulated the accident to predict the injuries of the driver and passenger. The results predicted that Lee Su-jae's injuries were more likely those of a passenger, while the deceased Choi's injuries were more likely those of the driver.

Why then did police officer Park make such testimony? An expert pointed out, "The Pocheon area has a high number of traffic accidents relative to its population, while suffering from a severe shortage of manpower," noting that structural limitations led to shoddy initial response, criticizing, "It wasn't just poor investigation; they simply didn't investigate properly."

Although Park claimed he verified Choi's identity at the time, this was nowhere to be found in the investigative records, and investigations into witnesses present at the scene were not properly conducted either.

Furthermore, another expert pointed out regarding the witnesses convicted of perjury, "Back then, if prosecutors felt a trial was slipping away, there was a commonly used investigative technique where they would immediately summon witnesses for perjury investigations, intimidate them, and force them to recant." The prosecutor in charge at the time refused to answer, stating that he could not remember.

Three individuals are hoping the truth will be revealed through retrial requests. However, the court recently dismissed Lee Su-jae's request for a retrial. Shifting the responsibility for failing to verify swapped medical records onto Lee, the court ruled that the grounds for retrial he claimed did not constitute a valid reason for a retrial. In response, Lee immediately appealed.

Meanwhile, the retrial requests by the witnesses are reportedly under review, drawing attention to what conclusion the court will ultimately reach.

(Written by Kim Hyo-jung, Editor)

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