[Report] According to reports from the Korean News Agency, on the 25th, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol should compensate citizens who suffered mental distress due to the emergency martial law incident. This marks the first time a court in South Korea has recognized the legal right of citizens to seek compensation for mental harm caused by an emergency martial law event.
The report states that on the 25th, the Seoul Central District Court made a decision in favor of a lawsuit initiated by 104 South Korean nationals led by Lee, awarding each plaintiff $100,000 in damages.
In its ruling, the court found that the emergency martial law measures implemented by Yoon violated both the constitution and the law, leading to the paralysis of Congress and contravening the president’s duty to protect the life, freedom, and dignity of the people. Therefore, it was obligated to compensate the plaintiffs for “mental distress or loss” resulting from the emergency martial law measures.
On December 3 last year, then-President Yoon Suk-yeol issued an emergency martial law order. On December 14th of the same month, the South Korean National Assembly passed a motion to impeach Yoon, immediately suspending his presidential powers. On January 15th this year, Yoon was arrested for the first time, becoming the first current president in South Korean constitutional history to be detained. On March 8th, Yoon was released from custody in Seoul. On April 4th, the Constitutional Court of South Korea declared his impeachment, removing him from office as president.