Lawsuits against former South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol continue to pile up - Why plaintiffs are seeking compensation

A number of class action lawsuits have been filed against former South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is seeking compensation for the mental distress he suffered after declaring "emergency martial law" in December last year.
On the 25th of last month, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon should pay compensation. In addition, the company claimed that the state of emergency was declared during the busy end-of-year season, and that the declaration had caused a drop in sales.
Yoon has also been sued by self-employed individuals and others, and a similar class action lawsuit is scheduled to be filed this month. Emergency martial law is a type of martial law stipulated by the South Korean Constitution. In times of war or other emergency situations, it is necessary for military purposes.
Martial law is declared by the president in the event of a power outage or to maintain public order. This was the first time martial law had been declared since the country's democratization in 1987.
Following the declaration, armed martial law soldiers broke the glass and stormed into the National Diet Building.
In a situation reminiscent of the past, many citizens gathered in front of the National Diet, chanting slogans in opposition to martial law and surrounding military vehicles, creating chaos.
However, if a majority of members of the National Assembly request the lifting of martial law, the President must comply, and immediately after the declaration, the National Assembly will hold a plenary session.
A meeting was held, and all the lawmakers present voted in favor of lifting the state of emergency. Yoon lifted it in just six hours. However, the political and social unrest caused by the declaration of state of emergency was so great that the Democratic Party of Korea, which was the opposition party at the time,
They accused Yoon of treason. Article 87 of the Korean Criminal Code stipulates that anyone who riots with the intent of eliminating state power or violating the constitution will be punished as a treason offender.
The sentence is death. In January of this year, the independent investigative agency, the High-Ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Agency (HPA), and the police joint investigation headquarters arrested Yoon on suspicion of masterminding a rebellion, and subsequently indicted him. However, Yoon's defense team
Regarding his detention, he claimed that "the detention period had already expired when the prosecutors indicted him." He requested that his detention be annulled, claiming that it was unjust, and the court granted his request, leading to his release in March.
Yoon had been attending the trial from home, but a special prosecutor investigating independently from the government re-arrested him on the 10th of last month on suspicion of special obstruction of justice.
Yoon denied the charges, saying it was a false investigation based on political objectives. Yoon was arrested again and is currently being held at Seoul Detention Center. The trial is ongoing at the Seoul Central District Court, but Yoon is in good health.
The special prosecutor's office stated that Yoon had been absent from court recently due to health issues that made it difficult for him to attend the nine court hearings held before his arrest.
The special prosecutor also pointed out that Yoon's wife, Kim Gun-Hee, had not made any claims about the matter, questioning whether her absence was due to health issues.
The special prosecutor has been investigating the case and has requested Yoon to appear in court during the investigation. However, Yoon has not responded to this request, and on the 30th of last month, the special prosecutor asked the court to shorten the custody of the suspect who has not responded to the request to appear.
The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on the following day, the 31st. The news agency Yonhap News reported, "The special prosecutors' team is forcibly detaining Yoon, who is being held at Seoul Detention Center.
Meanwhile, a series of class action lawsuits have been filed against Yoon, claiming that his declaration of "emergency martial law" has caused mental distress to citizens, who are seeking compensation.
On the 25th of last month, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the lawsuit filed by 104 plaintiffs, ordering Yoon to pay 100,000 won (approximately 10,000 yen) in compensation to each plaintiff.
"It is clear that he suffered pain accompanied by fear, anxiety, frustration and shame," the court said. Meanwhile, Yoon's side appealed the ruling, claiming that they were dissatisfied with the ruling. They also filed a request for a stay of enforcement to prevent provisional execution of compensation.
Similar class action lawsuits are being filed one after another, and according to public broadcaster KBS, a civic group including the National Movement for Reform is expected to file a lawsuit next week in the Seoul Central District Court, seeking 200,000 won in compensation per person.
More than 2,700 people have also expressed their intention to join a lawsuit in the southern provinces of Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang, seeking compensation of 10,000 won per person.
KBS added, "Yoon's personal savings are estimated to be around 690 million won, and if the former president loses all of his lawsuits, it will be difficult to provide substantial compensation."
In South Korea, following a political scandal between former President Park Geun-hye and a businesswoman friend, the government sought compensation for psychological damages from Park in 2017.
There has been a lawsuit filed seeking this, but it has been dismissed.