Former Defense Minister Seo Wook, who was acquitted of charges related to the alleged cover-up of the West Sea civil servant shooting incident, will receive approximately 11.4 million won in criminal compensation.
According to the official gazette on November 6, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 51, led by Chief Judge Jeon Bo-seong, recently ruled to grant compensation for detention and trial costs to Seo.
Criminal compensation is a system that reimburses defendants who are acquitted for damages incurred during their detention and legal fees, including attorney fees and travel expenses. Under this decision, Seo will receive 4.75 million won for detention and 6.654 million won for legal costs, totaling 11.404 million won.
Seo was indicted in connection with the September 2020 incident in which Lee Dae-jun, a civil servant from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, was shot and killed by North Korean troops. He faced allegations of deleting military intelligence to conceal the shooting and attempting to portray the victim as a defector.
The investigation, which began with an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection in June 2022, led to Seo's arrest on October 22 of the same year. However, he was released on November 8 after a court granted his request for a review of his detention. Subsequently, in December, prosecutors indicted Seo, along with former National Security Office chief Seo Hoon, former National Intelligence Service director Park Ji-won, former Coast Guard chief Kim Hong-hee, and former NIS secretary Noh Eun-chae.
However, on December 1 of last year, the first trial court acquitted all five defendants. The court found it difficult to conclude that there were procedural violations in the reporting of the disappearance, dissemination of information, analysis of intelligence, and announcement of investigation results. It also determined that there was insufficient evidence to support claims of a systematic cover-up of the shooting or the incineration of the victim's body.
The prosecution (then the public prosecutor's office) abandoned its appeal against Seo, Park, and Noh, solidifying their acquittals. Seo and Kim, who faced appeals on some charges, were also acquitted in June, and following the prosecution's decision to forgo further appeals, the acquittals of all five individuals were finalized.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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