Background
Our client was sued for damages after assaulting a minor. The plaintiffs were the child and both parents.
The child claimed KRW 7,406,550, including medical expenses of KRW 406,550, and each parent claimed KRW 3,000,000, for a total of KRW 13,406,550.
What Was at Stake
The assault and the medical costs were not seriously in dispute. Most of the claim was for consolation money (damages for emotional distress), so the outcome turned on how much was appropriate given how the incident arose and the actual harm. A further question was whether the parents, who were not struck, should each receive KRW 3,000,000.
How Changchun Helped
Law Firm Changchun represented our client in the lawsuit. The court allowed the medical expenses as claimed but held that consolation money had to reflect the circumstances leading to the assault, the extent of the harm, and the child's age. As a result, the award for emotional distress fell far below the amount claimed.
Outcome
In September 2026 the first-instance court ordered our client to pay the child KRW 1,406,550 (KRW 406,550 in medical expenses plus KRW 1,000,000 in consolation money) and each parent KRW 500,000. The total of KRW 2,406,550 is about 18% of the claim; the rest was dismissed. The plaintiffs were ordered to bear 80% of the litigation costs and our client 20%.
Even a party at fault is not bound to pay whatever the other side demands. A careful look at the circumstances and the actual harm can keep damages at a reasonable level. (Outcomes depend on the facts of each case.)