Government Withdraws Appeals in National Compensation Lawsuits for Hyeongje Bokjiwon and Seongam Academy Cases

[Financial News] The government has decided to withdraw all appeals against the national compensation lawsuits filed by victims of the Hyeongje Bokjiwon and Seongam Academy cases. It plans to forgo appeals in future first-instance trials except in exceptional cases.
Jeong Seong-ho, Minister of Justice, stated on the 5th, "We have decided to withdraw and forgo state appeals to more faithfully and quickly realize the relief of victims' rights, under the judgment that sufficient compensation should be made to citizens whose human rights were violated by the state's illegal acts."
The Hyeongje Bokjiwon case involved the forced detention of over 38,000 people, resulting in more than 650 deaths due to forced labor, assault, and harsh treatment. 652 victims of Hyeongje Bokjiwon had filed 111 national compensation lawsuits, which were ongoing in court.
The Seongam Academy case involved the forced detention of over 4,700 children, resulting in forced labor, assault, and harsh treatment, leading to the deaths of more than 29 and numerous disappearances. It is referred to as the 'child version of the Hyeongje Bokjiwon case.' 377 victims of Seongam Academy had filed 42 national compensation lawsuits, which were ongoing in court.
A Ministry of Justice official stated, "Although there have been appeals related to national compensation lawsuits concerning Hyeongje Bokjiwon and Seongam Academy due to the need for consistent compensation standards, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeals (dismissal without review)," adding, "We decided that the suffering of victims due to lawsuits should no longer continue." 


kyu0705@fnnews.com Kim Dong-kyu Reporter