[Kim Hyo-jung Editor] Who is the one who did not tell the truth

On the July 25 broadcast of SBS's "Unanswered Questions", the program tracked the truth behind a traffic accident that completely changed the fates of three people.

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 on the corner of the road, resulting in the driver passing away the following day and the passenger in the front seat sustaining severe injuries that left them in a coma.

Four months later, passenger Lee Soo-jae dramatically regained consciousness, but suffered permanent disabilities including a fractured skull and was finally discharged from the hospital after a year of recovery.

However, police officers eventually visited him and placed him under arrest, claiming that he was actually the driver of the accident vehicle.

At the time, the emergency medical technicians and the private ambulance driver dispatched to the scene testified that a person wearing dark clothes, Mr. Choi, was in the front passenger seat, while a person wearing bright clothes, Lee Soo-jae, was in the driver seat.

Furthermore, a police officer from the traffic investigation unit who arrived at the scene before rescue operations were completed claimed to have witnessed the front seat passenger and checked his ID wallet, confirming the name Choi on the identification card.

Ultimately, Lee Soo-jae was sent to the prosecution and convicted. However, Lee Soo-jae was not the only one punished. Jeon Young-do and Seong Ki-su, who stated they witnessed the traffic accident at the time, testified that the passenger of the accident was Lee Soo-jae. Declaring this testimony to be perjury, they were arrested for perjury and even served time in prison.

In response, both Lee Soo-jae and the two individuals punished for perjury filed for retrials, protesting their innocence. Notably, the son of the late Jeon Young-do, who passed away before the retrial was accepted, raised his voice by stating, "The person who truly committed perjury is the police."

Meanwhile, the 119 emergency rescue activity log from that time listed the front passenger as "Mr. Lee Soo-jae" rather than "Mr. Choi," and the medical records of the two individuals transported to the same hospital at five-minute intervals left lingering suspicions. Amidst the conflicting statements, who on earth is telling the truth?

After making inquiries, the production team met with the private ambulance driver from that time. He shuddered in disgust when the incident was brought up. He stated that the person he transported was Lee Soo-jae and noted that he had a wart on his face.

However, his past statements only recalled the clothing of the accident victims. In particular, the driver only remembered the clothing of the person transported later, rather than the person he actually transported.

Additionally, the traffic investigator claimed that only the passenger remained in the vehicle and that he pulled out a wallet to check the ID, stating that the passenger's body was wedged inside the vehicle. However, this differed from records and what witnesses saw at the time. Neither the passenger nor the driver had their bodies wedged into the vehicle, and the car doors had never been forcibly opened.

In response, the production team attempted to interview Park, the traffic investigator from that time, but he ultimately refused to answer.

That was not the only strange thing. Medical records from the time stated that the person brought in a comatose state was Mr. Choi, but the coma records written by the nurse contradicted the doctor's notes describing a lethargic state. Regarding this, an expert stated, "There is almost no possibility of recovering from a coma to a lethargic state."

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

Additionally, the production team predicted the injuries of the driver and passenger through simulations. As a result, Lee Soo-jae's injuries were predicted to most likely be those of a passenger, while the deceased Mr. Choi's injuries were predicted to most likely be those of the driver.

Then why did police officer Park make such testimony? An expert pointed out, "Pocheon has a high number of traffic accidents relative to its population. However, the workforce is severely lacking," noting that structural limitations led to shoddy initial accident handling, adding, "It wasn't just poor investigation, they simply didn't investigate properly."

Although Park claimed he verified Mr. Choi's identity at the time, this did not remain anywhere in the investigative records, and investigations into the 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 like their case might wobble during trial, it was a commonly used investigative technique to immediately call people in for perjury investigations, scare them, and force them to recant." The prosecutor in charge refused to answer, stating he could not remember the events of that time.

The three people hope that the truth will be revealed through their retrial requests. However, the court recently dismissed Lee Soo-jae's request for a retrial. Shifting the responsibility for failing to verify the swapped medical records onto Lee, the court ruled that the grounds for retrial he claimed did not constitute a valid reason for a retrial. Consequently, Lee immediately filed an appeal.

Furthermore, it was revealed that the retrial requests of the witnesses are currently under review, drawing attention to what conclusion the court will ultimately reach.