Adopted at 53, Suddenly Dies at 54... Who Is the Recipient of the '5.9 Billion Won' Insurance Payout?

20 Death Insurance Policies Subscribed... Monthly Premiums Total 1.42 Million Won

SBS The Its Know 'Ssuktteok Death Case' episode. /Photo by SBS The Its Know capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A lawsuit was filed by a middle school classmate, who was the beneficiary of the death insurance payout for a woman in her 50s who died while eating ssuktteok (mugwort rice cake), demanding the insurance money. However, the court ruled against the claimant, suspecting insurance fraud.

According to the legal community on the 20th, Kim (aged 54 at the time of death), who ran a traditional pub in Changwon, Gyeongnam, was found dead inside the pub on September 17, 2017. At the time of death, Kim had ssuktteok stuck in her throat. The National Forensic Service, after an autopsy, ruled the cause of death as "undetermined," stating that it could not be conclusively said that the rice cake caused the death.

It was later revealed that Kim had subscribed to 20 death insurance policies from 16 insurance companies between 2013 and 2017. The total insurance payout amounted to a staggering 5.9 billion KRW, and Kim had to pay 1.42 million KRW monthly in premiums. This amount was high compared to her average monthly income of 1 million KRW.

However, the insurance beneficiary was none other than Kim’s middle school classmate and legal sister, Ms. A. In 2016, at age 53, Kim was adopted by Ms. A’s mother, and the insurance beneficiary was changed from Kim’s children to Ms. A.

After a long investigation by the police, suspicious circumstances emerged, such as Ms. A searching for "poisoned food" before Kim’s death. However, after four years of investigation, the case was closed last December due to insufficient evidence.

Nonetheless, Ms. A filed a lawsuit against 16 insurance companies, including the National Credit Union Federation of Korea, claiming the insurance payout on the grounds that the deceased choked and died while eating rice cake, which qualifies as accidental death.

Court. /Photo by Yonhap News

Judge Lee Baek-gyu of the Civil Division 96 at the Seoul Central District Court, who presided over the insurance claim case against the National Credit Union Federation of Korea, ruled the insurance contract invalid and dismissed Ms. A’s claim, citing multiple suspicious circumstances in the case.

The court pointed out, "It is highly unusual to designate and change the insurance beneficiary to a middle school classmate when there is a legal heir, especially in a life insurance policy that provides no coverage other than death."

Ms. A paid 1.26 million KRW monthly on Kim’s behalf, even using loans, but the court explained that such behavior is difficult to justify unless Ms. A was certain of the early death of the deceased.

Additionally, the court considered suspicious the process of obtaining adoption consent from Kim’s mother, who had difficulty communicating, the fact that Kim had no special illnesses, and that Ms. A had experience working as an insurance planner as grounds for suspecting the insurance contract.

The court stated, "This does not mean there is proof to exclude reasonable doubt necessary for criminal punishment," and added, "The fact that the police conducted a long-term investigation itself makes it difficult to view this as a simple insurance accident."

Ms. A appealed the ruling. While awaiting the conclusion of this case, the remaining lawsuits against the other 15 insurance companies are scheduled for further hearings on May 10.

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