The government's liability for state compensation to the bereaved family of the late Prosecutor Park Chan-gil, a victim of the October 19 Yeosu-Suncheon Incident (Yeosun Incident), has been finalized.

The Ministry of Justice announced today (November 3) that it has decided to waive its appeal against the first-instance ruling by the Suncheon Branch of the Gwangju District Court, which recognized the state's liability for compensation to Prosecutor Park's bereaved family on October 29.

After being appointed as a senior prosecutor at the Suncheon Branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office in November 1947 at the age of 37, Prosecutor Park handled cases by standing up against illegal police acts—such as demanding a heavy prison sentence of 10 years for a police officer who executed innocent civilians after confirming their deaths.

Immediately after the outbreak of the Yeosun Incident, on October 23 of the following year, Suncheon police summarily executed Prosecutor Park without a trial on charges of having served as a presiding judge in a people's court. Prosecutor Park's father, Park In-seo, was also taken into custody by the police and died following torture.

In a lawsuit filed by Prosecutor Park's son, Reverend Park Kyung-jin, on July 6 of this year, the first-instance court recognized the police's illegal acts and ordered the state to pay a total of 690 million won in damages.

The ruling took into consideration circumstances such as the fact that although government investigations and official confirmations by the National Assembly concluded there was no basis for the charges of presiding over a people's court, the bereaved family suffered for a long time due to the lack of proper measures such as an apology or compensation from the state.

Acting Minister of Justice (Vice Minister of Justice) Lee Jin-su explained, "Marking the 78th anniversary of the Yeosun Incident, we decided to waive the appeal to restore the honor of the late prosecutor who was unjustly sacrificed while upholding the rule of law and protecting innocent lives, and to promptly heal the pain of the bereaved family who have suffered for a long time."

(Photo: Yonhap News)