ID :
21421
Fri, 09/26/2008 - 11:56
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/21421
The shortlink copeid
Supreme Court chief apologizes for wrongful verdicts of past
, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- The chief justice of the country's highest court on Friday acknowledged the court's 60-year history is not spotless, and offered an unprecedented official apology for what he called "unjust rulings."
"There were cases in the past 60 years that the court cannot be proud of," Chief
Justice Lee Yong-hun said in a speech at a commemorative ceremony marking the
60th anniversary of the establishment of the judicial system.
"The court had at times handed down rulings that ran against the very basic
principles of the Constitution and the due process of law under prolonged
authoritarian regimes," the 65-year-old justice said at the ceremony, which was
also attended by President Lee Myung-bak and the Chief Justice of the
Constitutional Court, Lee Kang-kook.
"I offer my sincere apologies on behalf of the judicial branch for failing to
fulfill its duties stated by the Constitution and thus failing the people and
causing them sorrow," Justice Lee said.
He failed to name any specific cases, however, for which the court apologizes,
saying only the court must first acknowledge its past wrongdoings if it is to win
the people's trust and begin anew.
The military and state intelligence offices launched efforts to examine their own
histories under the former Roh Moo-hyun government, often leading to large
government compensations for victims of past authoritarian regimes.
The Supreme Court, in contrast, has been reluctant to acknowledge its past faults.
"The work to correct the past must be carefully executed in balance with efforts
to maintain the independence of our judicial system and other constitutional
values," Lee said Friday, stressing the most effective way to correct or reverse
unjust rulings is through retrials.
One of the frequently attacked Supreme Court cases is the 1975 conviction of 25
activists for forming a pro-North Korea communist party, eight of whom were
executed less than 20 hours after the ruling.
A fact-finding commission in 2005 concluded the case was entirely fabricated by
the dictatorial government of Park Chung-hee in an attempt to quell a democratic
movement against his prolonged rule.
Seventeen of the convicted have since been acquitted through retrials while three
are still waiting for a court decision to reopen their cases.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
"There were cases in the past 60 years that the court cannot be proud of," Chief
Justice Lee Yong-hun said in a speech at a commemorative ceremony marking the
60th anniversary of the establishment of the judicial system.
"The court had at times handed down rulings that ran against the very basic
principles of the Constitution and the due process of law under prolonged
authoritarian regimes," the 65-year-old justice said at the ceremony, which was
also attended by President Lee Myung-bak and the Chief Justice of the
Constitutional Court, Lee Kang-kook.
"I offer my sincere apologies on behalf of the judicial branch for failing to
fulfill its duties stated by the Constitution and thus failing the people and
causing them sorrow," Justice Lee said.
He failed to name any specific cases, however, for which the court apologizes,
saying only the court must first acknowledge its past wrongdoings if it is to win
the people's trust and begin anew.
The military and state intelligence offices launched efforts to examine their own
histories under the former Roh Moo-hyun government, often leading to large
government compensations for victims of past authoritarian regimes.
The Supreme Court, in contrast, has been reluctant to acknowledge its past faults.
"The work to correct the past must be carefully executed in balance with efforts
to maintain the independence of our judicial system and other constitutional
values," Lee said Friday, stressing the most effective way to correct or reverse
unjust rulings is through retrials.
One of the frequently attacked Supreme Court cases is the 1975 conviction of 25
activists for forming a pro-North Korea communist party, eight of whom were
executed less than 20 hours after the ruling.
A fact-finding commission in 2005 concluded the case was entirely fabricated by
the dictatorial government of Park Chung-hee in an attempt to quell a democratic
movement against his prolonged rule.
Seventeen of the convicted have since been acquitted through retrials while three
are still waiting for a court decision to reopen their cases.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
