Pohang Earthquake Compensation Ruling Totaling 100 Billion Won... Additional Lawsuits Could Exceed 1 Trillion Won

300 Million KRW for Experiencing Both Cases, 200 Million KRW for One Case

50,000 Out of 510,000 Pohang Citizens Participate in Lawsuit

The government has been ordered to compensate citizens who suffered mental damages from the Pohang earthquake.

If the ruling is followed, the total compensation amount will exceed 100 billion won, and if additional lawsuits proceed, government compensation could surpass 1 trillion won, drawing significant attention.

The 1st Civil Division of the Pohang Branch of Daegu District Court (Chief Judge Park Hyun-sook) on the 16th ruled in a lawsuit filed by earthquake-affected Pohang citizens, including Mo Sung-eun, co-representative of the Pohang Earthquake Citizens’ Countermeasures Headquarters, against the state, ordering "the defendant to pay the plaintiffs 2 to 3 million won in consolation damages."

According to the Daegu District Court, the court set the consolation damages at 3 million won for Pohang citizens who were present in Pohang during both the magnitude 5.4 earthquake on November 15, 2017, and the magnitude 4.6 aftershock on February 11, 2018, and 2 million won for those who were present during only one of the earthquakes.

The court stated, "Although there was much dispute over the causal relationship between the geothermal power plant and the Pohang earthquake, it was determined that the earthquake was caused by the geothermal power project, thus recognizing state compensation."

It also explained, "The amount of consolation damages was determined considering the government's efforts to aid the victims."

The Countermeasures Headquarters, which filed the lawsuit, welcomed the verdict, saying it was a victory after 5 years and 1 month.

On this day, alongside the Countermeasures Headquarters’ lawsuit, rulings on 20 similar lawsuits were also made, with about 50,000 Pohang citizens participating in the lawsuits.

According to this ruling, if most of the approximately 510,000 residents of Pohang at the time claim to have suffered earthquake damages and proceed with additional lawsuits, the total amount of consolation damages is estimated to exceed 1 trillion won, signaling a significant impact.

Following this lawsuit result, it is expected that additional lawsuits demanding compensation from Pohang citizens will continue.

The Countermeasures Headquarters plans to proceed with additional lawsuits regarding individual earthquake damage cases that were not covered in this lawsuit.

Members of the Pohang Earthquake Citizens' Coalition are urging the government to acknowledge that the Pohang earthquake was an induced earthquake caused by geothermal power generation. Photo by Moon Ho-nam

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