'Husband Found Not Guilty of Killing Pregnant Wife' Insurance Claim Lawsuit Closing Arguments End... Verdict Next Month

Closing Arguments on the 12th
Sentencing Scheduled for August 23

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] The trial result of a husband who was acquitted of charges of killing his pregnant Cambodian wife by faking a traffic accident to claim insurance money and who filed a lawsuit against the insurance company is expected next month.

On the 12th at 10 a.m., Judge Kim Sunhee of the Civil Division 9 at the Seoul Western District Court heard the opinions of both the plaintiff and defendant in the insurance claim lawsuit filed by Mr. Lee (52) against NongHyup Life Insurance and concluded the arguments.

The first trial verdict was originally scheduled for the 14th of last month, but the court resumed the trial to hear each party's position regarding the insurance contract, which was originally under the name of the deceased wife but was changed to the husband's name a few months before the accident.

The insurance claim lawsuit was resumed following the acquittal of Mr. Lee on the murder charges. Since 2016, Mr. Lee has filed death insurance claims against insurance companies for contracts with his Cambodian wife, Ms. A, as the insured. Mr. Lee had a total of 33 insurance contracts since 2008, with the insurance money amounting to approximately 9.58 billion KRW. In the trial held at the Seoul Western District Court, Mr. Lee claimed 60 million KRW in insurance money against NongHyup Life Insurance.

Recently, Mr. Lee won three out of five lawsuits filed against other insurance companies. The court focused on Ms. A’s Korean language proficiency. The insurance companies argued the invalidity of the contracts, claiming that the terms and contents of the insurance contracts were difficult for Ms. A to understand properly. However, the court ruled in favor of Mr. Lee, stating that the wife had steadily studied Korean after marriage and had no significant communication problems.

On August 23, 2014, Mr. Lee was driving a van with Ms. A onboard when he collided with a stopped cargo truck. Ms. A, who was seven months pregnant at the time, died in the accident. Mr. Lee testified that the accident was caused by drowsy driving, but the prosecution indicted him, alleging that he deliberately caused the accident to claim the death insurance money.

Mr. Lee was ultimately acquitted of the murder charges. He was found not guilty in the first trial, guilty in the second trial, but the Supreme Court in 2017 overturned the conviction, stating that the murder charge was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and remanded the case. Finally, Mr. Lee was acquitted of the murder charge but sentenced to two years imprisonment for violating the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling.

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