In a damages lawsuit filed by victims of humidifier disinfectants against the manufacturers and sellers, the court issued a settlement recommendation ordering a total of 630 million won in compensation.
According to legal sources on the 21st, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Agreement Division 33 (Presiding Judge Choi Jong-jin) the previous day presented this recommendation at a mediation date in a damages suit filed by a person surnamed Lee, a bereaved family member of a humidifier disinfectant victim, and the children, against Lotte Shopping, the supplier of the Wiselect humidifier disinfectant, and the manufacturer.
If neither side files an objection within two weeks from the day they receive the decision, the settlement recommendation is finalized as is. If either side files an objection, the trial resumes. If the settlement recommendation is finalized, this lawsuit, filed in 2016, will conclude after about 10 years.
The humidifier disinfectant disaster refers to an incident in which humidifier disinfectant products sold since 1994 caused users to suffer lung damage and other harms. In 2011, as infants, young children, and pregnant women died one after another from unidentified lung diseases, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention viewed humidifier disinfectants as the cause and conducted a large-scale epidemiological investigation. The investigation confirmed a causal link between humidifier disinfectants and lung damage.
Lee and others filed a damages lawsuit in 2016, holding the manufacturers and sellers responsible. Lee's wife was a victim who died due to humidifier disinfectants, and the child, who was an infant at the time, developed chronic lung disease while growing up. Afterward, the Seoul High Court in Feb. 2024 for the first time recognized the state's liability for damages related to the humidifier disinfectant crisis, and the ruling was finalized by the Supreme Court in June of the same year.