Three Women Who Lost LG Family Inheritance Lawsuit Say They Will File Immediate Appeal

The wife and daughters of the late former LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo, who lost the lawsuit over his inherited property, decided on the 12th to appeal the first-instance ruling.

Yonhap News

On the 12th, after the verdict, the late Chairman Koo's wife, Kim Young-sik, his daughter Koo Yeon-kyung, head of the LG Welfare Foundation, and his daughter Koo Yeon-soo issued a statement through their legal counsel, saying, "We deeply regret that, although the essence of this case lies not with the heirs but with the LG financial management team, which shared interests with the defendant and held full authority over information such as assets, and with outside parties who engaged in an organized scheme of deception, the court based its decision solely on the unilateral testimony and materials of the very financial management team that committed these acts."

They further stated, "The court accepted the statements of the financial management team employees who provided seriously false information during the discussions on dividing the inherited property, acknowledged the existence of the so-called 'will memo,' and concluded that there was no deceptive conduct," adding, "Instead of confirming the deceased's true intentions, the court lent more of its ear to the arguments of those representing the defendant's interests."

They also said, "The court denied the causal relationship between the deceptive conduct and the negotiations on the grounds that the plaintiffs had expressed specific intentions regarding part of the property," and continued, "However, the court overlooked the fact that the plaintiffs' expressions of intent were based on a false memo stating 'succeed all management assets to the defendant' and on the blocking of information."

The three women stated, "On the judgment that our position and evidence were not fully conveyed, we plan to file an immediate appeal," adding, "We will reveal the substance of the deception and restore the deceased's true intentions."

Meanwhile, on the same day, the 11th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Koo Kwang-hyun) ruled against the plaintiffs in the inheritance recovery lawsuit filed by the late former Chairman Koo Bon-moo's wife and daughters against Chairman Koo Kwang-mo.