South Korean Court Reopens Investigation into Former President’s Assassination
A South Korean court announced on Wednesday that it has reopened the case surrounding the assassination of former president Park Chung-hee, who was killed in 1979 by his intelligence chief, Kim Jae-gyu.
Park, who had ruled South Korea with an iron fist for over 15 years, was shot and killed by Kim, a trusted aide, during a dinner. Kim was arrested, tried by a military court, and sentenced to death for the murder, which was deemed an act of “insurrection.” He was executed shortly afterward.
However, in 2020, Kim’s family filed an appeal, seeking to have the case revisited. They argued that while Kim did kill Park, his motive was not to seize power but to end Park’s brutal dictatorship. They also claimed that Kim was subjected to torture during questioning and did not receive a fair trial.
The Seoul High Court confirmed that it would reopen the case, with an official stating that the court will review the investigation records from 1980. Lee Sang-hee, an attorney representing Kim’s family, clarified that the family is not contesting the fact that Kim killed Park, but rather the reasoning behind it. They seek to have the conviction for insurrection overturned.
Kim’s sister, Jung-sook, emphasized in a 2020 interview that her brother acted out of a sense of justice rather than personal gain. She noted that he was executed without having the opportunity to present his side of the story.
Park’s assassination remains a subject of great interest in South Korea, with several films and TV dramas exploring the event. It also had a profound impact on the Park family, as it left the president’s daughter, Park Geun-hye, an orphan. Park Geun-hye would later become president herself, but was impeached and imprisoned for corruption.
The reopening of the case coincides with ongoing political turmoil in South Korea, with President Yoon Suk Yeol currently embroiled in a political crisis following an impeachment over a failed attempt to impose martial law.
