The Defense Security Command of the south Korean army arrested him without a warrant in September, 1984 and severely tortured him in order to wrest a false confession that he detected and collected confidential information and reported them to the north after infiltrating in south Korea under the instruction of the north.

It, in the long run, fabricated the spying case and referred him to the court. The court sentenced him to 7 years in prison.

The south Korean Committee for Settling the Past History for Truth and Reconciliation probed the truth about the fabricated case in June, 2010.

The court said that investigators of the Command used power to illegally arrest and detain Jo to be judged by faking up "evidence."

It also ruled that the "government" should reinstate the victim and his family and make reparations for them.