May 11, 5·18 Memorial Culture Center Daedong Hall
Exploring the Enactment of the National Comprehensive Compensation Special Act and More
A forum will be held to assess the current status of state compensation lawsuits for the mental damages suffered by victims of the May 18 Democratic Movement and to explore related issues.
The May 18 Memorial Foundation, the May 18 Democratic Merit Bereaved Families Association, and the May 18 Democratic Movement Injured Persons Association announced on the 7th that they will hold a forum titled "Evaluation and Tasks of State Compensation Claims for Mental Damages from the May 18 Incident" at 2 p.m. on the 11th at the Daedong Hall of the May 18 Memorial Culture Center.
The forum aims to publicize the scope of psychological, social, and economic damage compensation that the state should recognize for victims of state violence, and to explore the enactment of a special law for comprehensive compensation by the state rather than individual lawsuits filed by May 18 victims and others.
At the forum, former Constitutional Court Justice Lee Seok-tae will deliver a keynote speech titled "Overview of the Constitutional Court's Unconstitutionality Decision Related to the May 18 Compensation Act and Mental Damage Compensation Lawsuits." He will present on the Constitutional Court's decisions, amendments to the May 18 Compensation Act, filing of mental damage compensation lawsuits following the unconstitutionality ruling, and recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In particular, he will address issues and improvements regarding mental damage compensation rulings, including the scope of bereaved families, amounts of mental damage compensation, statute of limitations, punitive damages system, analysis of compensation standards and appropriateness of compensation amounts, and the enactment of a special law.
Additionally, discussions will continue on the standards for calculating consolation money in state compensation claims and problems with the application of the statute of limitations, the need to enact the (tentatively named) "May 18 Democratic Movement Mental Damage State Compensation Special Act" and amend the "Compensation Act," fairness in mental damage compensation amounts, and issues regarding the starting point for the statute of limitations for families.
Won Soon-seok, chairman of the May 18 Foundation, emphasized, "Regarding the serious human rights violations by public authority and state compensation lawsuits, the state must acknowledge the facts and actively cooperate to ensure that state compensation liability is recognized."
Meanwhile, about 190 state compensation lawsuits for mental damages related to May 18 have been concluded, and approximately 170 cases are currently ongoing.
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