NHIS Files 560 Million KRW Claim Against Sarang Jeil Church

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) filed a primary subrogation claim lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court on the 25th against Sarang Jeil Church and its senior pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon regarding Sarang Jeil Church. The lawsuit concerns the NHIS’s burden of 560 million KRW for 287 people out of 1,168 confirmed COVID-19 patients related to Sarang Jeil Church, for whom medical institutions claimed treatment costs from the NHIS.

The NHIS judged that Sarang Jeil Church’s refusal to cooperate with epidemiological investigations and obstruction of quarantine measures violated the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, which contributed to the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the NHIS filed a subrogation claim lawsuit based on “liability for damages due to tort under Article 750 of the Civil Act” for the amount the NHIS bore for the treatment costs of the related confirmed patients.

The NHIS received data on 1,168 confirmed cases related to Sarang Jeil Church from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency as of the 22nd. The NHIS estimates the total expected medical expenses for these patients at 7.5 billion KRW, of which it has borne 6.4 billion KRW in treatment costs.

The subrogation claims for the remaining 881 patients will proceed by verifying the payment details of medical expenses claimed by hospitals and expanding the lawsuit amount accordingly.

The NHIS also plans to actively consider filing subrogation lawsuits for Shincheonji and others after confirming violations of quarantine guidelines, intentional or negligent transmission of infectious diseases, and causal relationships, if damages to the NHIS are confirmed regarding diagnostic tests and treatment costs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.