NHIS Accelerates Preparation for Tobacco Lawsuit Second Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has begun preparations for the second trial after appealing the first trial in the so-called 'tobacco lawsuit,' in which it sued domestic and international tobacco companies for damages and lost the initial case.

On the 19th, NHIS announced that it had appointed the law firm Dae-ryuk Aju as the legal representative for the tobacco lawsuit appeal and submitted a power of attorney to the Seoul High Court.

Following a public recruitment of legal representatives through its own website, the Public Procurement Service's Nara Marketplace, and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's Alio system starting December 21 last year, Dae-ryuk Aju was finally selected.

According to NHIS, Dae-ryuk Aju is a law firm with extensive experience in lawsuits related to harmful substance damage, product liability, and class actions, and has currently formed lawyer teams by issue to prepare for the lawsuit.

Kim Yong-ik, NHIS Chairman, said, "Based on Dae-ryuk Aju's expertise and know-how, we expect to analyze the first trial verdict from a new perspective and strengthen the legal arguments on each issue in the appeal trial."

He added, "We will focus all our capabilities to hold the perpetrators strictly accountable for the harm caused by harmful substances and to ensure that victims receive fair compensation, making this a milestone."

NHIS initially filed a lawsuit in April 2014 against KT&G, Korea Philip Morris Co., and BAT Korea Co., demanding a total of approximately 53.3 billion KRW in damages to compensate for additional medical expenses incurred due to smoking.

However, on November 20 last year, the first trial court dismissed NHIS's claim, stating regarding the causal relationship between tobacco and disease, "It cannot be ruled out that the disease was caused by factors other than smoking, such as individual lifestyle habits, genetics, surrounding environment, and occupational characteristics."