821 COVID-19 Legal Consultations... Contract Cancellation Penalty Disputes Most Common

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Mr. A, who lives in Gyeongju, applied for personal rehabilitation and has been diligently paying the court every month whenever he received his salary. However, due to the recent COVID-19 crisis, his salary has not been coming in properly, making it difficult to make payments. Naturally, maintaining his livelihood has also become challenging.

Mr. B, who has operated a travel agency for 10 years, saw his income drop to "0 won" due to the COVID-19 crisis. As a result, by the end of last month, he was forced to organize his office. Mr. B, who only intended to settle the office rent, was told by the building landlord to "restore the interior changed by the previous tenant to its original state before leaving," which forced him to bear an additional restoration cost of 6.5 million won.

Along with Mr. A and Mr. B, it has been revealed that many legal disputes related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) crisis have recently occurred, especially among small business owners and vulnerable groups.

According to the Korea Legal Aid Corporation on the 3rd, since the first confirmed COVID-19 case on February 18, a total of 821 legal consultations related to COVID-19 have been conducted by the corporation until the end of last month.

Among the 821 cases, disputes over cancellation penalties due to contract cancellations (travel, weddings, first birthday parties, etc.) were the most frequent with 390 cases, followed by 120 cases of lease disputes such as rent payment delays, and 65 cases of wage-related disputes such as unpaid wages due to business closure or suspension.

Additionally, there were 55 legal consultations related to personal rehabilitation and bankruptcy, and 48 cases related to claims for damages due to contract breaches. Furthermore, many consultations were received regarding personal information protection and defamation related to the disclosure of confirmed patients' identities.

An official from the corporation stated, "It is regrettable that many disputes have arisen among vulnerable people," and added, "We will provide maximum legal support so that they can quickly receive relief from damages."