Court decides 900 million criminal compensation for last remaining 'European spy group' victims

A victim of a public security manipulation case who was imprisoned for seven years 54 years ago as a so-called "European spy group" was acquitted by retrial and received compensation of 900 million won.

The Seoul High Court decided on the 4th that the state should pay Kim Shin-geun 900 million won in criminal compensation.

The 'European spy group case' is a representative public security manipulation case organized by the Park Chung-hee administration, and Professor Park No-soo from Cambridge University and Rep. Kim Kyu-nam of the Democratic Republican Party were indicted and executed for traveling to and from East Berlin and Pyongyang.Kim Shin-geun, who studied in England with the help of Professor

Park, was also sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in the case.

Since then, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has made a decision to investigate the truth about the European spy group case, and as a result, Professor Park and Representative Kim were acquitted in a retrial in 2015.

Kim, who left for Canada after being released from prison, filed for a retrial only two years ago, but after more than two years of trial, the Seoul High Court acquitted Kim.

The prosecution, which also sought three years in prison and four years of probation in the retrial, later appealed, but was acquitted when the Supreme Court rejected the appeal in June.