Aerial Yoga Fall Leads to 20 Million Won in Compensation

Negligent Maintenance of Hammock Fixture Recognized
Violation of Facility Safety Duty Acknowledged

In a case where a hammock fixture installed on the ceiling came loose during an aerial yoga class, causing a student to fall, a court has ordered the gym to pay approximately 20 million won in compensation.

On December 22, 2025, Presiding Judge Shin Dongung of the 20th Civil Division of the Jeju District Court ruled in a lawsuit (Case No. 2019Gadan68987) filed by gym operator A against customer B for confirmation of non-existence of obligation, stating, "A shall pay B approximately 20 million won, and there is no obligation to pay damages in excess of that amount."

A filed the main lawsuit seeking confirmation that the damages obligation did not exceed approximately 3.97 million won. B filed a counterclaim seeking damages of more than 27.63 million won.

[Facts]

A was operating a gym in Jeju City. B was taking aerial yoga classes there. At around 10 p.m. in April 2019, while B was up on a hammock installed on the ceiling during class, the hammock fixture came loose, causing B to fall to the floor and suffer injuries.

B, who was 26 years old at the time of the accident, was hospitalized and received inpatient treatment for one month. The loss of earning capacity from May 2019 to around April 2022 was assessed at 11.5%. It was determined that B would require ongoing treatment, incurring costs such as medication expenses and physical therapy fees.

[Court's Decision]

The court found that A had failed to fulfill the duty of care, in terms of installation and maintenance, that is generally required under social norms in proportion to the riskiness of the gym facilities, and that the accident occurred as a result. Judge Shin recognized B's lost earnings of 10.64 million won; 530,000 won of the approximately 1 million won in medical expenses incurred by B after deducting 50% for the contribution of a pre-existing condition; 5.4 million won in future medical expenses; and 3.45 million won in consolation money, and concluded that the total amount of damages A must pay B was a little over 20 million won.

Reporter Park Suyeon, The Legal Times

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