South Korean Court Acquits Kang Eul-seong 50 Years After Execution

Justice has finally arrived, but it's half a century too late for the man at its center. On January 19, 2026, the Seoul Eastern District Court posthumously acquitted Kang Eul-seong, a civilian military worker who was executed in 1976 on charges of espionage. According to Yonhap, the court cited insufficient evidence, effectively overturning a verdict that stood for five decades.

The Legacy of Kang Eul-seong National Security Act Case

The case dates back to 1974, when military counterintelligence authorities arrested Kang for allegedly attempting to rebuild the Unification Revolutionary Party, a pro-North Korea organization. During the Park Chung-hee administration's era of authoritarian rule, Kang was subjected to torture and forced confessions. The court now admits that reading a North Korean paper wasn't enough to prove he praised or sympathized with anti-state activities.

Judicial Contrition and Procedural Failures

The presiding judge expressed a deep sense of guilt, stating that the judiciary didn't fulfill the people's expectations. "Although a past wrong has been corrected, irreversible damage has already been done," the court remarked. Prosecutors, acknowledging that procedural truth wasn't maintained in the original trial, sought the acquittal themselves and won't appeal. Kang is the fifth person related to this specific organization to be cleared of all charges in a retrial.