Court dismisses responsibility for compensation of Choi Won-jong's parents for 'Bundang knife rampage'... “An unpredictable crime”

Claim for damages against parents dismissed... Victim's family submits appeal

The court ruled that the parents of Choi Won-jong (25), the Bundang knife attacker who killed 14 people, cannot be held responsible.

According to the legal community on the 30th, the 3rd Civil Affairs Division of the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court ruled in favor of some of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit for damages filed by the bereaved families of the victims of the Bundang knife attack against the perpetrator Choi Won-jong and his parents on the 16th.

The court ruled that Choi should pay 880 million won in compensation to the bereaved family, but dismissed all claims for damages filed by the bereaved family against Choi's parents on the grounds that "if the parents took their own actions, they cannot be held responsible for crimes committed using unpredictable means."

The court explained, “There is no evidence to suggest that Mr. Choi’s parents violated their duty of supervision,” and “Considering that Mr. Choi left home immediately after becoming an adult and ignored the family’s medical advice and care, it would have been very difficult for the family to get Mr. Choi, who had become independent, to receive medical treatment or take medication again.”

In terms of the foreseeability of the crime, it was also revealed that “the period of time that Mr. Choi and his parents lived together just before the crime was only two days, and the delusion that Mr. Choi mentioned at the time was also to the effect that he was ‘being harmed by stalking by a large organization,’ and was far from threatening or harming anyone.”

In addition, considering the fact that although Mr. Choi has a history of mental illness, he has no criminal or investigative history, and that he has never harmed others or made violent remarks, it was judged that it would have been difficult for his parents to predict Mr. Choi's actions.

Daeryun Law Firm, which represented Choi’s parents, explained, “Supreme Court precedent states that ‘supervisory duty’ does not mean a general obligation to fully control the behavior of a mentally ill person and prevent all consequences of that behavior, but should be interpreted within a reasonably limited scope.”

He added, “It appears that the court has reflected the existing precedent that liability must be held by comprehensively considering all circumstances, such as the mentally ill person’s life, mental and physical condition, relative relationship and cohabitation, level of daily contact, and whether he or she has committed actions that have harmed others in the past.”

It is reported that the victim's family submitted an appeal on the 29th.

Reporter Kim Mi-ji unknown@kyeonggi.com

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Court dismisses responsibility for compensation of Choi Won-jong's parents for 'Bundang knife rampage'... “An unpredictable crime” (Shortcut)