The Suwon District Court acquitted Yoon Sung-yeo on Thursday in a retrial, 31 years after he was wrongfully convicted of a murder that was later linked to one of the country’s most notorious serial killers.

The court overturned the conviction, saying there was a lack of evidence in the original ruling. It went on to extend an apology on behalf of the judiciary and expressed hope the acquittal would help restore Yoon's reputation.

In 1988, Yoon was falsely accused of raping and killing a 13-year-old girl in Hwaseong, then later convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1989. He was released in 2009 on parole after serving 20 years.

Yoon denied any involvement in the case and filed for a retrial in November last year, a month after police announced that Lee Choon-jae confessed to the murder among other crimes.

Lee, who is currently serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law, ultimately confessed to killing 14 women and raping nine others in the 1980s and 90s.