[News Today] Citizens seek martial law compensation

[LEAD]
A Seoul court had already ruled that former President Yoon Suk Yeol must pay 100-thousand won each to citizens harmed by martial law. Now more than 12-thousand plaintiffs have filed a fresh suit, this time not only against Yoon, but also his wife, former First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

[REPORT]
"Compensate for the suffering caused by martial law".

This time some 12-thousand citizens have gathered force. The accused is not only former President Yoon Suk Yeol but also his wife former first lady Kim Keon-hee.

Citizens say this is because Yoon declared martial law in order to prevent a special counsel investigation into his wife. They also cite circumstantial evidence of Kim's conversation with an official implicated in martial law held over a secure phone.

This is why the lawsuit sees the couple as co-illegal actors who share joint responsibility.

Kim Kyeong-ho / Lawyer
Many citizens harbor great anger against Kim Keon-hee. Martial law was triggered to cover up the so-called Kim Keon-hee risk.

Plaintiffs are demanding a 100-thousand won compensation, around 72 dollars, per person.

As 7.3 billion won, or some 5.2 million dollars, of the couple's 8 billion-won, or 5.7 million dollars, wealth belongs to Kim, if citizens win this case, damages must be paid from this sum.

The key to the case is proving the causal relationship between martial law and mental suffering.

In an earlier lawsuit filed by 104 citizens against Yoon, which also cited martial law-induced mental suffering, the court acknowledged the liability of compensation saying that even without physical evidence, clearly the plaintiffs underwent mental suffering under the rules of common experience.

However, this is only a first trial ruling, and the court has broadly acknowledged a causal link between individual suffering and martial law.

It's possible that different conclusions may arise from other lawsuits.