Attorney Kwon Kyung-ae, who lost a case after failing to appear in court while representing the family of a school violence victim, has reportedly objected to a court's settlement recommendation ordering her to pay 90 million won to the bereaved family. The family also filed an objection, and the trial is set to resume.
According to legal sources on the 26th, Attorney Kwon on the 24th filed an objection with the Seoul Central District Court Civil Appeals Division 9-2 (Presiding Judge Byun Ji-young) against the settlement recommendation. On the 14th, the panel recommended settlement ordering Kwon to pay 90 million won in agreed funds to Lee Gi-chul, the mother of the late Park Ju-won, who died due to school violence, along with 1.63 million won in delayed damages on 65 million won in consolation money finalized by a Supreme Court ruling. This was a proposal of compromise the court presented to the parties on its own authority.
Kwon declined and asked for a fresh ruling in a formal trial. Lee's attorney also said, "We will receive a court judgment reflecting Attorney Kwon's wrongdoing," and filed an objection with the panel the day before. With both sides filing objections, the court's settlement recommendation lost effect.
The family of Park, who died in 2015, filed a lawsuit the following year seeking 500 million won in damages from the perpetrator and others. Representing the family, Kwon partially won in the first instance. During the second instance, Kwon failed to appear at hearings three times from September to November 2022 and lost. The Civil Procedure Act deems a case withdrawn if a party fails to appear three or more times. Kwon did not inform the family of this for five months and also missed the Supreme Court appeal window, finalizing the loss. Over the case, the Korean Bar Association suspended Kwon for one year.
In 2023, the family filed a lawsuit seeking 200 million won in damages against Kwon, arguing that her negligent representation deprived them of the right to a trial and to appeal. In the first instance, the court found that Kwon and her law firm must pay 50 million won in consolation money. The second instance raised the consolation money to 65 million won and held the law firm liable for 2.2 million won. The Supreme Court finalized this consolation money award.
The Supreme Court vacated and remanded Lee's additional claim for 90 million won in agreed funds to the second instance. After the loss was finalized due to nonappearance, Kwon wrote a memorandum to pay 30 million won annually from 2023 to 2025. Lee sought the agreed funds from Kwon, but the Supreme Court did not accept the claim and sent it back to the original court. The second instance effectively sided with the family by recommending a settlement to pay the agreed funds, but with both sides objecting, that part will be litigated again. Lee's side said it plans to file a criminal complaint against Kwon on suspicion of fraud and other charges and increase the amount of the damages claim.