COMPENSATION OVER SOCCER STAR'S “NO-SHOW”

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Last year soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo disappointed his Korean football fans with his no-show at a friendly match held in Korea. Now as he had initially promised to take part in the game, the spectators demanded compensation from the organizer of the match. Recently a local court ordered the organizer to compensate the plaintiffs for psychological damages.

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Last July, Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo was set to play in a friendly against the K League All Stars in Korea. Much to the spectators' dismay, Ronaldo was on the bench for the entire game. Having paid a large sum for their tickets, the spectators were infuriated.

[Soundbite] (SPECTATOR) : "I saw some people burning and tearing Ronaldo's photos."

The outraged fans blamed marketing firm The Festa, which organized the match, for failing to notify fans that Ronaldo would not play, and requested a police investigation into the incident. At the time, two of the spectators living in Incheon filed a civil lawsuit against the firm to demand a refund and compensation for psychological damages. A local court partially recognized The Festa's responsibility and ordered the company to pay 370,000 won to each of the plaintiffs. The amount includes a 70,000 won admission fee, a 1,000 won refund penalty and compensation amounting to 300,000 won. Although the court recognized only part of the plaintiffs' one-million-won claim, it's the first time a court has recognized psychological damage caused by a no-show of an athlete.

[Soundbite] KIM MIN-KI(ATTORNEY REPRESENTING FOOTBALL FANS) : "Although the fans' psychological damage cannot be quantified, it's comforting for them to know that it's the first instance of recognizing psychological damages."

So far thousands of people have filed lawsuits against The Festa, with 345 spectators demanding 950,000 won in damages per person. The Incheon court's ruling is expected to significantly impact the other upcoming trials.