By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
A regional court Monday overturned a guilty verdict on a man who served a jail term in the 1980s having been convicted on charges of espionage for North Korea.
The Jeju District Court ruled in favor of Gang hee-cheol at a retrial, saying it was highly likely that Gang's confession was forced.
``He was illegally placed under confinement for 85 days without an arrest warrant and his confession was given after physical and verbal assaults from investigators,'' the judge said in the ruling.
Gang was charged with spying and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987. After serving 13 years, he was released on parole in 1998.
He made a request for a retrial in 2005, claiming he was forced to make a false confession due to physical assaults and threats by investigators.