Court: “Government must compensate the bereaved families for damage suffered by the Goseong Press Association 75 years ago”

Victims sacrificed due to involvement with the National Press Association during the Korean War
Court, lawsuit for damages: “State must pay alimony to surviving family”

The court ruled that the state must compensate the families of victims who were sacrificed for joining the National Press Association during the Korean War.

According to the legal community on the 22nd, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on the 28th of last month that three people, including Mr. A, the bereaved family of the victims of the Goseong Press Association, pay 167 million won in alimony to the plaintiff in a lawsuit for damages filed against the state.

Mr. B, the victim of the incident and father of three, including Mr. A, was killed by the police around July and August 1950 in the Goseong area of ​​Gyeongsangnam-do on the grounds that he was involved with the National Press Association.

Mr. A filed an application for investigation into this incident in 2021 through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Through this, the Jinhwa Committee confirmed that Mr. B was a victim of the Goseong National Press Association incident last year.

Mr. A and others demanded compensation from the government for illegal acts, but the government insisted on the statute of limitations, saying that the period for filing a claim for compensation had passed. The right to claim national compensation must be made within three years from the date the victim or representative became aware of the damage or harm.

However, the court did not accept the government's argument. The court ruled in favor of Mr. A, refuting the government's argument by saying, "If the Fire Protection Committee makes a decision to investigate the truth regarding serious human rights violations or fabricated or suspected cases, the right to claim compensation arises from the date the notice of decision to determine the truth is served."

He added, “The deceased was murdered by the defendant’s police without going through due process,” and “The defendant is responsible for compensating the bereaved family for their mental suffering and alimony.”

Mr. A's representative, Se-ro Park, an attorney at the Daeryun Law Firm, explained, "Mr. A had to go through painful years without knowing the exact circumstances of Mr. B's death, such as the reason or date and time of his death. We were able to get a good result by emphasizing the fact that we were only able to identify the exact damages and perpetrators after receiving the truth-finding decision."

Reporter Kim Mi-ji (unknown@kyeonggi.com)

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Court: "Government must compensate the bereaved families for damage caused by the Goseong Press Association 75 years ago" (Shortcut)