A Seoul High court official has announced decisions to reopen the case of the assassination of former president Park Chung-hee by his intelligence chief.
Recall that, Park had ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 15 years when he was shot and killed by spy boss and trusted aide Kim Jae-gyu during a dinner in 1979.
Kim was subsequently sentenced to death by a military court for killing the head of state with the goal of “insurrection” and was hanged shortly after.
But his family appealed to the court to revisit the case in 2020, claiming that, while Kim had killed the president, he did it to put a stop to Park’s ruthless dictatorship and not in pursuit of power.
Lee Sang-hee, an attorney for Kim’s relatives, said: “We will revisit the case by reviewing investigation records (from 1980).”
He additionally stated “We are not fighting on the issue of whether Kim killed Park. It is a fact, but over why… We will fight to remove the insurrection conviction”
