Police have launched a full-scale review of about 70,000 state awards granted to officers since 1945, following Korea’s liberation from Japan, in a move aimed at rectifying honors linked to wrongdoing under past authoritarian governments.
The first comprehensive probe of its kind has drawn backing from President Lee Jae Myung, who expressed support in a social media post Sunday.
The review is expected to identify and revoke awards tied to torture and fabricated cases, many of which have already been overturned through retrials, yet remain formally unretracted.
According to local media, the probe will cover a broad range of state honors, including orders and decorations conferred by the president and the prime minister. Police plan to compile the findings and submit a report outlining the basis for each award to the prime minister.
A police official said the investigation is aimed at uncovering broader patterns of state abuse, going beyond cases such as the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, which have already been subject to multiple probes.
Under the Awards and Decorations Act, honors may be revoked if the merits cited are found to be false, subject to Cabinet approval.
The review is expected to focus on officers involved in fabricating espionage cases through torture and coerced confessions, particularly between the 1950s and '80s. Many victims have since been exonerated through retrials, and some related honors have already been rescinded.
Since 2018, about 74 individuals have had honors revoked in connection with such cases, but controversy persists over many others who remain formally recognized.
Recipients of certain decorations were also entitled to benefits. For instance, those awarded the Order of National Security Merit during that period have been classified as persons of distinguished service to the state and receive support, including stipends, preferential university admission consideration for their children and low-interest loans.
The president described the move as overdue, but necessary.
“Stripping honors from those responsible for grave state violence, including torture, fabrication of cases and judicial killings, is belated but inevitable,” he wrote.
He also pledged to push legislation to eliminate statutes of limitations for state violence crimes.
Under the Criminal Procedure Act, prosecution is limited to 10 years for serious crimes and seven years for lesser offenses. Most such cases are already time-barred, with deadlines having expired in the early 1990s.
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