Incheon 'Red Tap Water' Damage: Residents of Seo-gu Geomdan and Cheongna Lose Compensation Lawsuit

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The Incheon Western District residents numbering over 6,300 who suffered damages from the 'Red Tap Water' incident four years ago lost a lawsuit for damages against Incheon City.

The Civil Division 16 of the Incheon District Court (Presiding Judge Jang Minseok) ruled on the 14th that 5,239 residents of Geomdan in Seo-gu and 1,153 residents of Cheongna, who each claimed 200,000 KRW and 500,000 KRW respectively in damages, lost the case. The total amount claimed in the two cases was 1,643,300,000 KRW.

The court stated, "Even if the red tap water incident occurred due to illegal execution of duties by Incheon City, to recognize liability for compensation for emotional distress, mental suffering must have occurred, and that suffering must be concrete enough to be legally protected."

It further explained, "Unless the plaintiffs clearly prove what kind of damage they suffered from the red tap water incident, it is difficult to conclude that tap water that did not meet drinking water standards was supplied in all the plaintiffs' residences."

The court added, "Although some plaintiffs may have received tap water that did not meet drinking water standards, since Incheon City provided extensive compensation such as supplying bottled water and exempting three months of water bills, it is reasonable to consider that the emotional distress has also been healed."

The Incheon Red Tap Water incident occurred on May 30, 2019, during the 'water system switching' process when the Seoul Pungnap Intake Station and Seongsan Pumping Station, which supply water to the Gongchon Water Purification Plant in Incheon, were shut down for electrical inspection, and water from nearby Susan and Namdong Water Purification Plants was supplied as a substitute.

Normally, water is supplied to the Yeongjong area from the Gongchon Water Purification Plant by gravity flow, but during the water system switching at that time, it was supplied under pressure in the reverse direction. In this process, water scale attached to the pipe walls fell off and was supplied along with sediment at the bottom of the pipes, affecting an estimated 261,000 households in the Gongchon Water Purification Plant supply area and 635,000 people in Seo-gu, Ganghwa, and Yeongjong areas.

Residents of Seo-gu claimed that the red tap water incident occurred because Incheon City forced the water system switching by drawing water from other purification plants and that the damage worsened due to inadequate response to the incident.

The city compensated based on receipts for bottled water and filter purchases at the time, but the residents filed a lawsuit in 2019, arguing that compensation should also cover property damages such as medical expenses and emotional damages.

Separate from the two cases with rulings announced today, a lawsuit related to the red tap water incident filed by 307 Cheongna residents in December 2020 has not yet proceeded with a trial schedule.

Police raided the Incheon Waterworks Headquarters during the 'Red Tap Water' incident
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, four Incheon city officials were prosecuted for manipulating the turbidity meter at the water purification plant to conceal the red tap water incident, and in the sentencing hearing last December, prison terms ranging from four months to one year were requested.

It was investigated that although the turbidity level exceeded the accident standard of 0.5 NTU, no action was taken, and after switching the turbidity meter to 'maintenance' mode, the turbidity level was recorded as 0.06 NTU in the water quality inspection log.

It was also found that three days after the incident, the turbidity level was falsely recorded in the water quality inspection log using the same method.

However, most of them deny the charges, so the upcoming verdict is drawing attention.