Customer Burned by Hot Soup Awarded 18 Million Won in Compensation

Ulsan District Court: "Cannot Hold Only Oneself Responsible for Safety Obligations"

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A court ruling ordered a restaurant to pay 18 million won in compensation to a customer who suffered burns from hot galbitang spilled by an employee.

When the customer filed a damage claim against the restaurant, the restaurant countered, arguing that the customer was partially responsible, drawing attention to the trial.

The Ulsan District Court's 2nd Civil Division (Presiding Judge Lee Jun-young) announced on the 6th that it partially ruled in favor of plaintiff A in a damage compensation lawsuit filed against a certain restaurant.

The court ordered the restaurant to pay A 18 million won for medical expenses and consolation money.

According to the Ulsan District Court, in November 2017, A stopped by a restaurant in Ulsan with colleagues for lunch, where an employee spilled freshly cooked hot galbitang, causing second-degree burns on A’s foot and ankle.

Due to this accident, A received outpatient treatment for three days at a surgical clinic in Ulsan, followed by wound regeneration treatment and a seven-day hospitalization at a hospital in Daegu.

From December 2017 to December 2019, A continued outpatient treatment 23 times at two hospitals and subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against the restaurant demanding 24 million won in damages.

The restaurant argued that since galbitang is served very hot throughout the year, A was partially at fault for not taking adequate safety precautions and contested the lawsuit.

The court stated, “Restaurant owners or employees who serve hot soup dishes that can pose risks to life or body must take all necessary measures to ensure customers can safely consume their food while on the premises,” and ruled, “It is not acceptable to hold A responsible merely on the vague grounds of ‘negligence in self-safety duty.’”

Ulsan District Court.

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