25-hundred islanders were imprisoned on trumped up charges seven decades ago during the April 3rd Incident. Some of the survivors who have had their names cleared by a court are now seeking billions of won in compensation. Mike Balfour reports.


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Jeju District Court

Survivors who had petitioned for a retrial to clear their names gather at the court following the court recognizes them as wronged victims of the April 3rd Incident last month.

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April 3rd Incident survivors seek compensation

They now will file for criminal compensation for the unlawful arrest.

Innocent victims can claim the criminal compensation for false imprisonment based on the criminal justice system.

Recording
Yang Geun-bang / Wrongly convicted by military court
I have lived through a nightmare. Receiving compensation would bring me inexpressible joy.
<싱크 : 양근방 / 제주 4·3 생존 수형인>
"괴로웠던 험한 가시밭길을 헤치고 무죄가 되서 보상을 받게 되는 심정은 말할 수 없는 기쁨입니다."

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18 applicants seeking ₩5.3b

18 applicants requested 5.3 billion won of compensation in total.

It was calculated based on the period of detention and attendance at the court.

Individually, the requested compensation varies between 80 million won and 1.4 billion won.

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Survivors also demand judgement be posted online

Along with the claim, they demand the court post the written judgement of the retrial on the website of the Ministry of Justice for a year, as a part of efforts to restore the impaired reputation of the victims.

Recording
Im Jae-seong / Lawyer
We hope the court acknowledges the credibility of the victims’ testimony for the compensation.
<싱크 : 임재성 / 변호사>
"법원이 생존 수용인들의 증언에 대한 신빙성을 인정해줘서 형사보상 청구가 원만하게 이뤄지길 바라고 있습니다."

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Another lawsuit planned

If the court decides to support the victims’ testimony, the compensation money will be paid in 2 or 3 months.

The legal team of the victims will also file the damage suit against the state in April.

[Reporter] Mike Balfour
[Camera] Kim Seung-cheol

This is not the end of the process.
6 other survivors will also petition for a retrial to clear their names.

Mike Balfour, KCTV