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Sun, August 14, 2022 | 03:26
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Courts should recognize sentences served overseas
헌재 "동일 범죄로 외국서 처벌받았으면 감형해야"
Posted : 2015-06-02 16:53
Updated : 2015-06-02 19:18
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By Lee Kyung-min

Local courts should recognize jail terms served in foreign countries when sentencing people convicted here for the same offences, the Constitutional Court ruled Tuesday.

The court said that a clause in the criminal law, which does not oblige courts to consider overseas rulings, infringes upon the physical freedom of those convicted and is therefore unconstitutional.

But it said the clause should not be abolished immediately and should remain until the end of 2016, when the National Assembly is required to revise it, in order to prevent confusion from the absence of related regulations.

The decision comes after an appeal case from a man surnamed Song, who was arrested at an airport in Hong Kong in 2011 after authorities there found that he had a forged Korean passport. He was sentenced to one year in prison and served eight months there before being extradited to Korea.

Upon arriving at Incheon International Airport, Korean authorities arrested Song and indicted him for the same charge.

He filed for the petition after a district court and an appellate court both sentenced him to six months in prison.

Currently judges can reduce prison terms for people who have served parts of or full sentences set by overseas courts, at their own discretion, but such reductions are not compulsory. The Constitutional Court ruled that they should be obligatory.

"If perpetrators served prison terms in foreign countries and local courts do not take the terms into consideration, that would restrict those people's freedom too much," the court said. "Such decisions should not be at the discretion of individual judges."


헌재 "동일 범죄로 외국서 처벌받았으면 감형해야"

'재량 감형' 형법 7조 헌법불합치 결정…내년 말까지 잠정적용

같은 범죄로 외국에서 형 전부나 일부를 집행 받았다면 국내 법원에서 이런 사정을 반드시 반영해 형을 정해야 한다는 헌법재판소 결정이 나왔다.

헌재는 송모씨가 동일 범죄로 외국에서 처벌받았을 때 국내에서 처벌하는 규정을 담은 형법 7조를 대상으로 제기한 헌법소원 사건에서 재판관 6(헌법불합치)대 3(합헌) 의견으로 헌법불합치 결정을 내렸다고 2일 밝혔다.

다만 헌재는 당장 조항이 없어지면 혼란이 있을 수 있어 2016년 12월 말로 개정시한을 정했다. 시한까지는 현재 조항을 적용된다.

송씨는 2011년 6월 대한민국 여권을 위조해 행사한 사실이 적발돼 홍콩 국제공항에서 체포됐다.

그는 홍콩에서 징역 1년을 선고받고 8개월 정도 복역하다 강제추방됐고, 입국장에서 체포돼 국내에서 다시 기소됐다.

1·2심이 징역 6개월을 선고하자 송씨는 상고심 도중 형법 7조를 대상으로 위헌법률심판 제청신청을 냈고, 기각되자 헌법소원을 냈다.

형법 7조는 외국에서 형의 전부 또는 일부를 집행되면 형을 감경 또는 면제할 수 있다고 돼 있다.

법원에서 재량 감형할 수 있다는 의미로 반드시 감형해야 하는 것은 아니다.

헌재는 '외국에서 실제로 형 집행을 받았는데도 이를 전혀 고려하지 않으면 신체의 자유를 과도하게 제한할 수 있다'며 결정 배경을 밝혔다.

이어 '해당 조항은 형 감면 여부를 법관 재량에 전적으로 위임해 사건에 따라서는 신체의 자유에 심각한 제한이 발생할 수도 있는 만큼 과잉금지원칙에 어긋난다'고 지적했다.

외국에서 옥살이했다면 국내 법원에서 형을 선고할 때는 반드시 이를 고려해 감형해야 한다는 취지다.

강일원·서기석·조용호 재판관은 사건에 따라 임의로 감면하는 것은 불가피한 측면이 있고, 외국에서 형을 집행 받았다면 양형 요소로도 참작하는 등 국내 법원에서 이미 해당 조항을 적절히 적용하고 있다며 반대 의견을 냈다.

세 재판관은 국가안보 위협 등 처벌 필요성이 강한 범죄가 있고, 같은 행위에 외국에서는 우리 형사법의 형보다 가벼운 형을 규정하거나 우리 법에는 불법으로 규정된 내용이 외국법에는 없을 수도 있다고 지적했다. (연합뉴스)
Emaillkm@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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