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

Who is the one who did not tell the truth?

On the SBS program "Unanswered Questions" broadcast yesterday (July 25), the truth behind a traffic accident that altered the fates of three individuals was investigated.

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 Soo-jae dramatically regained consciousness, but suffered permanent disabilities including a skull fracture, and was finally discharged from the hospital a year after the accident.

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

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

In addition, a police officer from the traffic investigation unit claimed that upon arriving at the scene, he witnessed the front passenger who had not yet been rescued, checked his wallet, and confirmed Choi's name on his identification card.


Ultimately, Lee Soo-jae was sent to the prosecution and found guilty. However, Lee was not the only one who faced punishment. Jeon Young-do and Sung Ki-su, who claimed to have witnessed the traffic accident at the time, had testified that the passenger in the accident was Lee Soo-jae. They were arrested for perjury, claiming their testimony was false, and even served prison time.

In response, both Lee Soo-jae and the two individuals punished for perjury appealed for their innocence and filed for a retrial. Notably, the son of Jeon Young-do, who passed down before the retrial was accepted, drew attention by raising his voice and stating, "The real perjurer is the police."

Meanwhile, the 119 emergency activity log listed the front passenger not as Choi, but as "Lee Soo-jae," and the medical records of the two individuals transported to the same hospital at five-minute intervals left some suspicions. Amid conflicting statements, who on earth is telling the truth?


After much searching, the production crew met with the private ambulance driver from that time. He shuddered at the mention of the incident, stating that the person he carried was Lee Soo-jae and mentioning that the person had a wart on his face.

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

Furthermore, the police officer from the traffic investigation unit claimed that only the passenger remained and that he took out the wallet to check the ID, stating that the passenger's body was trapped in the vehicle. However, this differed from the records and what witnesses saw at the time. Neither the passenger nor the driver was trapped in the vehicle, and there was no record of the vehicle doors being forcibly opened.

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


That was not the only strange thing. Medical records from the time indicated that Choi was brought in in a coma state, but the coma record written by the nurse and the drowsy state noted by the doctor contradicted each other. Regarding this, an expert stated, "It is almost impossible to be in a coma and then improve to a drowsy state."

The production team asked multiple experts to review the medical records of both individuals, and the experts analyzed that there was a high possibility the medical records had been switched.

In addition, the production team predicted the injuries of the driver and passenger through simulations. As a result, it was predicted that Lee Soo-jae's injuries were more likely those of a passenger, while the deceased Choi's injuries were more likely those of the driver.

Then why did police officer Park make such testimony? An expert pointed out, "Pocheon is an area with a high number of traffic accidents relative to its population, yet manpower is severely lacking," noting that structural limitations led to shoddy initial responses, adding, "It wasn't just poor investigation; they simply didn't do the investigation properly."

Although Park claimed to have verified Choi's identity at the time, this did not remain anywhere in the investigation records, and investigations into witnesses at the time were not properly conducted either.


Another expert pointed out regarding the witnesses convicted of perjury, "Back then, if the prosecution felt a trial was wavering, it was commonly used as a sort of investigative technique to summon them for perjury, intimidate them, and force them to recant." The prosecutor in charge refused to answer, stating he could not remember the past.

The three individuals hope that the truth will be revealed through the retrial request. However, the court recently dismissed Lee Soo-jae's request for a retrial. Passing the responsibility for failing to verify the switched 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.

In addition, it was revealed that the witnesses' requests for retrials are currently under review, drawing attention to what conclusion the court will reach.

(Written by Kim Hyo-jung, Editor)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.