7 out of 10 Civil Lawsuits Are 'Naholro Lawsuits'

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] It has been revealed that the so-called 'self-representation lawsuits,' where parties do not seek the help of lawyers in civil litigation, account for more than 70% of cases.

According to data received by Rep. Choi Gisang of the Democratic Party from the Supreme Court on the 5th, out of 5.29 million civil main lawsuits filed over the past six years (2015 to June 2020), 3.84 million cases involved both the plaintiff and defendant not hiring lawyers.

This figure represents 72.6% of all civil main lawsuits, and when including cases where only one party, either the plaintiff or defendant, hired a lawyer, the ratio rises to 93.1%.

In small claims cases, which account for more than 70% of civil lawsuits, the rate of both parties self-representing reached 83.3%. Since the claim amount in small claims cases is 30 million won or less, many do not hire lawyers.

On the other hand, in civil settlement cases, the rate of both parties self-representing was only 21.0%. In civil litigation, cases where the plaintiff's claim amount exceeds 200 million won are assigned to the collegiate division.

In all civil lawsuits, cases where only the plaintiff hired a lawyer were about eight times more frequent than those where only the defendant hired one, and in small claims cases, this was more than ten times higher.

Rep. Choi stated, "It is necessary to lower the barriers in the legal market so that economically and socially disadvantaged individuals can easily access legal services," and added, "The courts should actively utilize the litigation support system to protect the rights of the parties involved."

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