"China Must Be Held Accountable" 10,000 People from 40 Countries to File Class Action Lawsuit for 7000 Trillion Won in Damages

Model of the novel coronavirus infection. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] More than 10,000 citizens from 40 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have filed a lawsuit seeking damages amounting to $6 trillion (approximately 7,312 trillion KRW) against the Chinese Communist Party related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to the British media outlet Daily Mail on the 20th, the American law firm Berman Law Group filed a class-action lawsuit last month in a Florida court representing 10,000 people who claim that they or their families suffered damages due to COVID-19 infection.

They are demanding compensation from the Chinese government on the grounds that China knew about the outbreak of COVID-19 but failed to report it to the world in a timely manner.

According to Berman, the lawsuit involves more than 10,000 citizens from 40 countries. One American participant in the lawsuit stated in a declaration, "I lost my father and aunt one after another due to COVID-19," adding, "My mother wanted to sue China. Our family wants to know the truth about this pandemic."

Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump also raised the so-called "China responsibility theory," stating that "China must be held accountable."

On the 18th, during a COVID-19 response task force briefing, President Trump said, "If China is deliberately responsible for the global COVID-19 pandemic, they must definitely be held accountable," adding, "If it was a mistake, then it was just a mistake, but if there is deliberate responsibility, of course there must be consequences."

French President Emmanuel Macron, in an interview with the British Financial Times on the 16th, pointed out, "It is naive to say that China handled COVID-19 well," and added, "We do not know what actually happened in China."

Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, also raised questions about China's handling of COVID-19 at a press conference held the same day, stating, "It is necessary to review China's response in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak," and "China will have to answer difficult questions about the outbreak route and initial response."