Open Decision Ledger · Criminal & investigative procedure
Standard for assessing the admissibility of secondary evidence based on a confession obtained without advisement of the right to remain silent
Translated from the Korean original. Read the Korean
Supreme Court, Mar. 12, 2009, 2008Do11437 (judgment)
Case name: 강도
Official text on the National Law Information Center
Question
May secondary evidence, such as a confession made in court and the victim's statements, which was collected on the basis of a confession obtained without advisement of the right to remain silent, be used as evidence for a finding of guilt?
Holding
Unlawfully collected evidence and the secondary evidence based thereon in principle lack admissibility of evidence, but may exceptionally be used, by comprehensively considering the circumstances relating to the collection of the primary evidence and the circumstances of the process of collecting the secondary evidence, focusing on whether causation has been attenuated or severed. The confession made in open court under the assistance of counsel approximately 40 days after the initial confession, and the victim's statement made under oath following a lawful summons, fall within that exception.
Summary of the holding, verbatim
1차적 증거를 기초로 하여 다시 2차적 증거를 수집하는 과정에서 추가로 발생한 모든 사정들까지 구체적인 사안에 따라 주로 인과관계 희석 또는 단절 여부를 중심으로 전체적·종합적으로 고려하여야 한다.
Unofficial English translation
In the process of collecting secondary evidence again on the basis of primary evidence, all the circumstances that additionally arose must be considered in an overall and comprehensive manner, depending on the concrete case, primarily focusing on whether the causation has been diluted or severed.
Disposition
Dismissed Stated in the decision
상고를 기각한다.
Unofficial English translation
The appeal is dismissed.
Form of the test
Circumstances weighed Stated in the decision
주로 인과관계 희석 또는 단절 여부를 중심으로 전체적·종합적으로 고려하여야 한다.
Unofficial English translation
must be considered in an overall and comprehensive manner, primarily focusing on whether the causation has been diluted or severed.
Factors
- 진술거부권을 고지하지 않은 것이 단지 수사기관의 실수일 뿐
- 그 이후 이루어진 신문에서는 진술거부권을 고지하여 잘못이 시정되는 등
- 변호인으로부터 충분한 조력을 받은 가운데 상당한 시간이 경과하였음에도
- 다른 독립된 제3자의 행위나 자료 등도
- 증인이 그의 독립적인 판단에 의해 형사소송법이 정한 절차에 따라 소환을 받고 임의로 출석하여 증언하였다는 사정
Unofficial English translation
• the fact that the failure to advise of the right to remain silent was merely a mistake of the investigating agency
• the fact that in the subsequent examination the right to remain silent was advised and the error was thereby corrected
• the fact that, despite the lapse of a considerable time while the defendant received sufficient assistance from counsel
• the fact that the acts or materials of other independent third parties also
• the fact that the witness was summoned in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Act and voluntarily appeared to testify pursuant to the witness's independent judgment
Relation to precedent
Follows earlier decisions Stated in the decision
대법원 2007. 11. 15. 선고 2007도3061 전원합의체 판결
Unofficial English translation
Supreme Court Decision 2007Do3061 decided November 15, 2007 (en banc judgment)
Decisions referred to
[1] 대법원 2007. 11. 15. 선고 2007도3061 전원합의체 판결(공2007하, 1974)
Burden of proof
Not addressed Not in the decision
Open question and revisit condition
How would the admissibility of the physical evidence itself, which was secured immediately on the basis of a statement made while the right to remain silent was not advised, be evaluated under the same standard?
This reading will be reexamined if the en banc judgment on the legal principle concerning the admissibility of secondary evidence under Article 308-2 of the Criminal Procedure Act changes.
Cross-family AI independent reading & axis check
6 of 8 axes matched GPT-6 Astra (OpenAI, codex CLI) · 2026-10-16
Compared with an independent reading by an AI of a different family (GPT-6 Astra), which read only the original text without seeing the first reading, 6 of the 8 axes matched, and the readings diverged on axis 5 (Factors) and axis 8 (Open question and revisit condition).
Axis 5 (Factors): Primary “the fact that the failure to advise the right to remain silent was merely a mistake of the investigative authorities / the fact that the right to remain silent was advised in the interrogations thereafter, so that the error was corrected / the fact that a substantial period of time elapsed despite the receipt of sufficient assistance from counsel / the fact that there were also acts or materials of other independent third parties / the fact that the witness, in accordance with his independent judgment, was summoned in accordance with the procedure provided in the Criminal Procedure Act, voluntarily appeared, and testified” vs Independent “the purpose of the procedural provision and the content and degree of the violation thereof / the specific circumstances of the violation and the possibility of avoiding it / the nature of the right or legal interest that the procedural provision seeks to protect, the degree of infringement thereof, and its relation to the defendant / the degree of relevance, such as causation between the procedural violation and the evidence collection / the knowledge and intent of the investigative authorities”
The first reading turns primarily on subsequent circumstances such as the correction of the advisement, the lapse of time, and independent sources of evidence, whereas the independent reading turns primarily on general factors such as the content of the initial procedural violation, the infringement of legal interests, and the intent of the investigative authorities.
1차적 증거를 기초로 하여 다시 2차적 증거를 수집하는 과정에서 추가로 발생한 모든 사정들까지 구체적인 사안에 따라 주로 인과관계 희석 또는 단절 여부를 중심으로 전체적·종합적으로 고려하여야 한다.Axis 8 (Open question and revisit condition): Primary “How would the admissibility of the physical evidence itself, which was secured immediately on the basis of a statement made while the right to remain silent was not advised, be evaluated under the same standard?” vs Independent “What lapse of time and what assistance of counsel following the initial unlawful confession are required for the attenuation or severance of causation to be recognized?”
The first reading asks about the admissibility of physical evidence secured immediately after the unlawful confession, whereas the independent reading asks about the degree of lapse of time and assistance of counsel required for the attenuation or severance of causation.
1차적 증거를 기초로 하여 다시 2차적 증거를 수집하는 과정에서 추가로 발생한 모든 사정들까지 구체적인 사안에 따라 주로 인과관계 희석 또는 단절 여부를 중심으로 전체적·종합적으로 고려하여야 한다.Raw responses and comparison record: Protocol · Blind readings (JSONL) · Axis comparison (JSONL) · SHA-256 (JSON)
Lower-court contrast & scope of application
Lower-court reading vs. Supreme Court holding
Lower-court context: The court below recognized the admissibility of the defendant's confession in the court of first instance and Non-indicted 4's statement before the court below, found the defendant guilty of the robbery against Non-indicted 4, and determined that the defendant did not appear, at the time of the offense, to have lacked, or to have had diminished, capacity to distinguish things or to make decisions due to intoxication.
Supreme Court standard: The Supreme Court considered in combination the fact that the right to remain silent was advised a few hours after the initial confession and was lawfully advised at each subsequent interrogation, that the confession in court was made approximately 40 days later under the assistance of counsel, and that the victim appeared in response to a lawful summons and made a statement after being sworn in, and held the determination of the court below to be proper. As to the claim of impropriety in sentencing, the Supreme Court dismissed the final appeal, holding that such a claim does not constitute a valid ground for final appeal in a case in which a sentence of less than 10 years' imprisonment was imposed.
Distinguishing conditions
- Where the failure to advise the right to remain silent was used as an intentional and technical method of securing evidence in order to induce a confession
- Where the error was not corrected, as by failing to advise the right to remain silent in subsequent interrogations as well
- Where the secondary evidence rests solely on the unlawful initial confession, without any act or material of an independent third party
Record verification notes
Before asserting the same conclusion, check, from the written statements and the trial record, the interval between the initial confession and the collection of the secondary evidence, whether the assistance of counsel was provided, and the timing of the advisement of the right to remain silent.
From the official text
Points at issue
[1] 헌법과 형사소송법이 정한 절차를 위반하여 수집한 증거를 기초로 획득한 2차적 증거의 증거능력 및 그 판단 기준 [2] 2차적 증거의 증거능력을 인정할 만한 구체적 정황례 [3] 진술거부권을 고지하지 않은 상태에서 임의로 행해진 피고인의 자백을 기초로 한 2차적 증거 중 피고인 및 피해자의 법정진술은 공개된 법정에서 임의로 이루어진 것이라는 점에서 유죄 인정의 증거로 사용할 수 있다고 한 사례
Unofficial English translation
[1] The admissibility of evidence of secondary evidence obtained on the basis of evidence collected in violation of the procedures prescribed by the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Act, and the criteria for determining the same [2] Concrete circumstances in which the admissibility of secondary evidence may be recognized [3] A case in which, among the secondary evidence based on a confession voluntarily made by the defendant without being advised of the right to remain silent, the court held that the statements of the defendant and the victim made in court may be used as evidence for a finding of guilty on the ground that they were voluntarily made in an open court
Summary of the holding
[1] 형사소송법 제308조의2는 "적법한 절차에 따르지 아니하고 수집한 증거는 증거로 할 수 없다"고 규정하고 있는바, 수사기관이 헌법과 형사소송법이 정한 절차에 따르지 아니하고 수집한 증거는 물론, 이를 기초로 하여 획득한 2차적 증거 역시 유죄 인정의 증거로 삼을 수 없는 것이 원칙이다. 다만, 수사기관의 절차 위반 행위가 적법절차의 실질적인 내용을 침해하는 경우에 해당하지 아니하고, 오히려 그 증거의 증거능력을 배제하는 것이 헌법과 형사소송법이 형사소송에 관한 절차 조항을 마련하여 적법절차의 원칙과 실체적 진실 규명의 조화를 도모하고 이를 통하여 형사 사법 정의를 실현하려 한 취지에 반하는 결과를 초래하는 것으로 평가되는 예외적인 경우라면, 법원은 그 증거를 유죄 인정의 증거로 사용할 수 있다. 따라서 법원이 2차적 증거의 증거능력 인정 여부를 최종적으로 판단할 때에는 먼저 절차에 따르지 아니한 1차적 증거 수집과 관련된 모든 사정들, 즉 절차 조항의 취지와 그 위반의 내용 및 정도, 구체적인 위반 경위와 회피가능성, 절차 조항이 보호하고자 하는 권리 또는 법익의 성질과 침해 정도 및 피고인과의 관련성, 절차 위반행위와 증거수집 사이의 인과관계 등 관련성의 정도, 수사기관의 인식과 의도 등을 살펴야 한다. 나아가 1차적 증거를 기초로 하여 다시 2차적 증거를 수집하는 과정에서 추가로 발생한 모든 사정들까지 구체적인 사안에 따라 주로 인과관계 희석 또는 단절 여부를 중심으로 전체적·종합적으로 고려하여야 한다. [2] 구체적인 사안에서 2차적 증거들의 증거능력 인정 여부는 제반 사정을 전체적·종합적으로 고려하여 판단하여야 한다. 예컨대 진술거부권을 고지하지 않은 것이 단지 수사기관의 실수일 뿐 피의자의 자백을 이끌어내기 위한 의도적이고 기술적인 증거확보의 방법으로 이용되지 않았고, 그 이후 이루어진 신문에서는 진술거부권을 고지하여 잘못이 시정되는 등 수사 절차가 적법하게 진행되었다는 사정, 최초 자백 이후 구금되었던 피고인이 석방되었다거나 변호인으로부터 충분한 조력을 받은 가운데 상당한 시간이 경과하였음에도 다시 자발적으로 계속하여 동일한 내용의 자백을 하였다는 사정, 최초 자백 외에도 다른 독립된 제3자의 행위나 자료 등도 물적 증거나 증인의 증언 등 2차적 증거 수집의 기초가 되었다는 사정, 증인이 그의 독립적인 판단에 의해 형사소송법이 정한 절차에 따라 소환을 받고 임의로 출석하여 증언하였다는 사정 등은 통상 2차적 증거의 증거능력을 인정할만한 정황에 속한다. [3] 강도 현행범으로 체포된 피고인에게 진술거부권을 고지하지 아니한 채 강도범행에 대한 자백을 받고, 이를 기초로 여죄에 대한 진술과 증거물을 확보한 후 진술거부권을 고지하여 피고인의 임의자백 및 피해자의 피해사실에 대한 진술을 수집한 사안에서, 제1심 법정에서의 피고인의 자백은 진술거부권을 고지받지 않은 상태에서 이루어진 최초 자백 이후 40여 일이 지난 후에 변호인의 충분한 조력을 받으면서 공개된 법정에서 임의로 이루어진 것이고, 피해자의 진술은 법원의 적법한 소환에 따라 자발적으로 출석하여 위증의 벌을 경고받고 선서한 후 공개된 법정에서 임의로 이루어진 것이어서, 예외적으로 유죄 인정의 증거로 사용할 수 있는 2차적 증거에 해당한다고 한 사례.
Order
상고를 기각한다. 상고 후의 구금일수 중 100일을 본형에 산입한다.
Unofficial English translation
The appeal is dismissed. 100 days of the defendant's detention after the final appeal is credited toward the principal sentence.
Provisions referred to
[1] 헌법 제12조 제1항, 제3항, 형사소송법 제215조, 제307조, 제308조의2 [2] 헌법 제12조 제1항, 제3항, 형사소송법 제215조, 제307조 [3] 헌법 제12조 제1항, 제3항, 형사소송법 제215조, 제307조
Read 2026-10-16 · Cross-read 2026-10-16. All quotes matched against the official text. The Chinese-character placeholders the court used for anonymised parties are given in their Korean readings, and parenthetical Chinese-character glosses are omitted.
Every entry is published only after all quotes have been matched character by character against the official text, and audited by an independent second reading from a different model family across all eight axes. Both agreed axes and text-grounded interpretive divergences are recorded openly. The ledger is a research record, not an assessment of the court or advice on any matter.
Back to the ledger