Court Rules in Favor of Defectors Seeking Compensation from North Korea

In a significant legal development, the Seoul Eastern District Court has approved a request for asset seizure and collection orders against North Korea, filed by defected South Korean POW 유영복 (Yu Young-bok) and his daughter 이모 (Lee Mo). This marks only the second time in history that such a ruling has been granted for South Korean POWs. On January 20, the court recognized the claims against North Korean leader 김정은 (Kim Jong-un) and determined that 경문협 (Korean Cultural Association) would act as a third-party debtor, responsible for compensating the POWs on behalf of North Korea. The court acknowledged the claim amounting to approximately 210 million KRW. This ruling allows the plaintiffs to directly collect this amount from 경문협.

경문협 is a non-profit organization that has historically collected copyright fees from South Korean broadcasters using North Korean content, sending the proceeds to North Korea. However, following the 2007 shooting incident involving tourists at Mount Kumgang, remittances were halted, leading to a court deposit of around 2.8 billion KRW from 2008 to 2023. Notably, former presidential chief of staff 임종석 (Im Jong-seok) has served as the chairman of this organization on two occasions.

Should 경문협 refuse or delay payment following the court's order, the plaintiffs have the right to file a lawsuit against the organization to recover their claims.