Court: "North Korea and Kim Jong-un Must Compensate Veterans and Families of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong"

Photo from the Yeonpyeong Naval Battle

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The bereaved family of the late Sergeant Han Sang-guk, who died in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, and veterans who participated in the battle have won a damages claim lawsuit against the North Korean regime.

According to the legal community on the 24th, Judge Kim Sang-geun of the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 86 ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, including Sergeant Han's spouse Kim Hanna and seven others, in the lawsuit filed against North Korea and Chairman Kim.

The court ruled, "North Korea and Chairman Kim shall pay each plaintiff 20 million won and delayed damages calculated at an annual interest rate of 5% from June 29, 2002." Furthermore, citing Supreme Court precedents, the court stated, "North Korea, which is an anti-state organization under the Constitution and domestic law, is an unincorporated association as defined by the Civil Procedure Act," and "the domestic court has jurisdiction over this illegal act."

North Korea and Chairman Kim did not respond to the lawsuit, but the court notified them of the lawsuit through public notice service and delivered the judgment. Public notice service is a system where if the opposing party does not receive documents and does not respond to the trial, the court posts the notice on its bulletin board or official gazette, and it is considered that the content has been delivered.

The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong occurred on June 29, 2002, the day of the FIFA Korea-Japan World Cup third-place match, when two North Korean patrol boats crossed the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea and launched a surprise attack on our Navy's Chamsuri 357 patrol boat, escalating into a battle. Six people, including Sergeant Han, were killed and 19 injured due to North Korea's attack, and the 357 boat sank while being towed. It is estimated that about 30 North Korean soldiers were casualties due to our military's return fire.

Sergeant Han's wife and others filed this lawsuit in October 2020, claiming, "We suffered physical and mental damages due to North Korea's illegal acts."

However, it remains uncertain whether Kim and the veterans will actually receive the compensation.

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