Law Recognizes State Compensation... Damage Compensation Approximately 88 Billion KRW
Han Dong-hoon "Clear State Responsibility, Prompt Victim Damage Recovery"
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] The Ministry of Justice has abandoned its appeal against the appellate court ruling that recognized the state's responsibility in the national compensation lawsuit filed by the bereaved families of the victims who died in the Sewol ferry disaster.
On the 31st, the Ministry of Justice gave up its appeal against the second-instance ruling that acknowledged the state's responsibility in the damages claim lawsuit filed by 228 bereaved families of the Sewol ferry disaster, including Jeon Myeong-seon, director of the 4·16 Democratic Citizenship Education Center, against the state and Cheonghaejin Marine Company. The compensation amount recognized in the first and second trials is approximately 88 billion KRW.
The Seoul High Court Civil Division 4 (Presiding Judge Lee Kwang-man, Kim Seon-ah, Cheon Ji-sung) ruled that, in addition to the compensation recognized in the first trial, the state must also pay consolation money of 5 million KRW per victim's biological parent and 1 to 3 million KRW to other family members.
On the morning of April 10 last year, bereaved families threw chrysanthemums into the sea to pay tribute in the Sewol ferry disaster area in Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Ministry of Justice explained that the increase in compensation by raising the 'working age' standard for calculating lost income from 60 to 65 years in the appellate trial was due to the recent precedent change by the Supreme Court en banc, and that the recognition of consolation money for the illegal surveillance of Sewol ferry bereaved families by the Military Security Command was based on the fact that the illegal surveillance by Military Security Command officials was acknowledged in related criminal cases and some were finally confirmed, considering these comprehensively.
Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, stated, "Since the state's responsibility for the Sewol ferry disaster has been clearly confirmed, the intention is to promptly conclude the trial and restore the victims' damages."
Earlier, the second-instance court pointed out, "The defendant, the Republic of Korea's Military Security Command, unlawfully surveilled and reported on the personal information and political tendencies of the Sewol ferry bereaved families unrelated to their duties, infringing on the plaintiffs' freedom of privacy."
A total of 355 people, including the bereaved families of 118 Sewol ferry victims (116 Danwon High School students and 2 civilians), filed a lawsuit in September 2015, claiming that the state caused the Sewol ferry disaster by neglecting safety inspections and management, and worsened the damage by failing to properly respond initially and conduct on-site rescue after the disaster occurred.
They also filed a lawsuit against the shipowner, Cheonghaejin Marine Company, alleging that the hull was forcibly extended and remodeled and that the initial response was inadequate, which increased the damage.
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