Court orders gov`t compensation for kidnapped fisherman falsely accused of espionage

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court ordered the government Friday to
compensate a fisherman it falsely accused of spying for North Korea after being
kidnapped by the communist state.
Seo Chang-duk, 62, was abducted in 1967 by a North Korean patrol boat while
fishing in the Yellow Sea. He was released 124 days later but was punished in the
South over the next two years for violating the national security law which
prohibits unauthorized contact with or activities sympathetic to the North.
He was indicted again in 1984 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, accused of
spying for North Korea and praising Pyongyang. He was released on parole in 1991.
The Seoul Central District Court said the case against Seo was fabricated.
"After arresting him without a warrant, they (the authorities) tortured him to
obtain a false confession and threatened witnesses to make false testimonies,"
the court said in its ruling. "The government is liable to compensate him, not
only for violating his basic human rights but also for the illegal conduct."
The compensation is likely to reach near one billion won (US$830,000), including
interest accumulated from the year of his illegal arrest in 1984.
About 480 South Koreans, mostly fishermen, have been abducted by North Korea
since the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953, according to the Unification
Ministry. The North denies kidnapping them or holding anyone against their will.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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