On the 18th, more than 12,000 people in South Korea collectively filed a lawsuit against former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife over the emergency martial law incident, with each plaintiff claiming 100,000 Korean won (about 518 RMB) in compensation.
On April 21st, Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court at the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
According to South Korean media reports, a total of 12,225 plaintiffs filed the lawsuit through their lawyer Kim Kyung Ho (transliteration) at the Seoul Central District Court. The plaintiffs argued that former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to issue an emergency martial law last December was a deliberate violation of people’s fundamental rights and a criminal act that had damaged their dignity, thus claiming compensation.
The plaintiffs also accused Yoon Suk Yeol’s wife Kim Jeong Hee of being a co-perpetrator of the martial law incident and named her as a defendant, requiring her to bear joint liability for compensation.
According to South Korean media reports, as more people are allowed to join the plaintiff side before the case is settled, the number of people involved in the lawsuit may further increase.
Previously, it was reported that on July 25th, the Seoul Central District Court made a first-instance judgment in a similar lawsuit, ruling that the defendant Yoon Suk Yeol should pay each of the 104 plaintiffs 100,000 Korean won in compensation for mental distress.
This was the first such judgment made by a South Korean court. The court stated that the emergency martial law brought terror and anxiety, frustration, and shame to the plaintiffs, and Yoon Suk Yeol must compensate them.
Yoon Suk Yeol then appealed the judgment.
On December 3 last year, Yoon Suk Yeol issued an emergency martial law. On April 4 this year, the South Korean Constitutional Court announced the approval of an impeachment against Yoon Suk Yeol, who was then removed from his presidency. On July 10th, the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol, and a special investigation team responsible for investigating the emergency martial law incident subsequently implemented his arrest. Yoon Suk Yeol was detained in a Seoul detention center. (Sources: Xinhua News Agency, News)