The retrial of Kim Jae-gyu, the former director of the KCIA who assassinated President Park Chung-hee, is currently happening. Will his name be redeemed?

The retrial of Kim Jae-gyu, the former director of the KCIA who assassinated President Park Chung-hee, is currently happening. Will his name be redeemed?

When Kim Jae-gyu was arrested soon after the assassination of Park Chung-hee on October 26th, 1979, he was put on trial and sentenced to death for insurrectionary murder.

However, a retrial was requested by Kim Jae-gyu’s family in 2020, with the intent to switch his conviction from “homicide with the intent of insurrection” to simple homicide.

Kim’s family argued Kim’s actions were for the preservation of democracy and that his original trial had been rigged using illegal methods such as torture and coercion.

As a result, after 5 years of examination by the Seoul High Court, a retrial was decided.

Opinions about the retrial have been split; some say the retrial is necessary and that Kim Jae-gyu should be upheld as a hero who saved countless civillian lives with one sacrifice. Meanwhile others say he was a selfish politician who simply made his move when he realized he was about to fall out of power.

What do you guys think about this retrial?

submitted by /u/ApolloExpress
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