Court Ruled State Reparation on Keochang Civilian Massacre

A court ruled that the state should pay the compensation to the bereaved for their mental suffering upon the first case of the action for damage on a civilian massacre during the Korean War.

On the claim for compensation for damage that the bereaved of Keochang civilian massacre filed against the state, the first municipal court of Jinju Branch Court (presiding judge: Hwang Jeong-Keun senior judge), Changwon District Court ruled yesterday, ``The state is responsible to pay compensation to the bereaved because the state inflicted pain on the bereaved of the victims of Keochang massacre. The state has to pay 30,000,000 won for each of the bereaved family members.``

The court, however, ruled out the case on 50,000,000 won that the bereaved claimed for ``the inheritance of compensation for death during the massacre because the prescription of the claim for compensation for damage on the case that happened in 1951 was extinguished.``

The court, in the decision, said, ``Keochang massacre was a typical civilian massacre done by the military power that collectively violated basic human rights of life. The state inflicted suffering on the bereaved by neglecting the efforts for retrieving the honor of the victims, for neglecting to paying the compensation for damage, and by neglecting to prevent the recurrence of the similar cases, etc.``

409 bereaved of Keochang massacre filed a lawsuit against the state, in which they claimed 50,000,000 won for the inheritance of compensation due to the death in massacre and 30,000,000 for the essential damage of the bereaved, on Feb. 17th.

Kang Jeong-Hoon manman@donga.com