Lee Jae-myung, the president, on the 29th addressed the police move to begin canceling decorations awarded to investigative officials who took part in past torture and fabricated cases, saying, "Stripping medals and commendations from the worst state-violence criminals, such as those who committed torture and judicial murder, is overdue but only natural."
On the same day, the president referenced this as he linked an article containing the details on X (formerly Twitter). In particular, the president added, "We will also push for a law to exclude the criminal statute of limitations and the civil statute of repose for state-violence crimes."
According to the article, Lee Geun-an, a "torture technician" who died on the 25th, received 16 decorations during his lifetime, and many perpetrators received orders of merit from the state, with many of them still retaining them without being stripped. The police, under the current Orders and Decorations Act, which allows the cancellation of medals and commendations if the merits are found to be false, have begun a full review of the perpetrators and plan to push for stripping decorations where necessary.
The president also wrote on X that day, "Today I will pay respects at the Jeju 4·3, the worst case of state violence. I pray for the souls of those who, without knowing why, were stabbed with spears, shot by carbines, and buried alive," adding, "We will make sure such a tragedy never occurs again in Korea."