A biological mother who found out late that her son died in the Sewol ferry accident lost the first trial of a lawsuit for damages against the state, but was overturned in the second trial.
According to legal circles메이저사이트, the Seoul High Court Civil Division 9 (Presiding Judge Sung Ji-yong) recently ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by Ms. B, the biological mother of Mr. A, against the state, stating that “the state should compensate 400 million won,” unlike the first trial.
Ms. B divorced her husband in 2000. Mr. A lived with his father and did not have much interaction with his mother. Mr. A died during the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014, and his father reportedly did not inform his former spouse, Ms. B, of his death.
Later, in January 2021, the Special Investigation Committee on Social Catastrophes called Ms. B to inform her of Mr. A’s death after noticing that she had not received the national compensation for the Sewol ferry disaster.
In Ms. B’s lawsuit against the state, the first court rejected her claim, saying the statute of limitations had passed. However, the second court ruled that Mr. B learned of Mr. A’s death in January 2021 and filed the lawsuit before the three-year statute of limitations set by the Civil Code had expired.
The first instance court also found that the officials did not commit any misconduct in the course of executing their duties in the Sewol ferry accident. However, the second court ruled that the officers of the Mokpo Coast Guard’s 123 patrol boats were guilty of professional negligence.
Earlier, 228 relatives of the Sewol victims filed a lawsuit for damages against the state and Cheonghaejin Shipping, and the Seoul High Court recognized state responsibility and ruled in favor of some of the plaintiffs in January. The Ministry of Justice accepted the ruling to pay about 88 billion won in compensation and did not appeal to the Supreme Court, and the ruling was finalized.