The government has completed payment of 15 million won in government compensation to Kim, the victim in the "Busan roundhouse kick case." It comes about four months after it was finalized that the state was liable for compensation due to a court ruling. After the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, the Ministry of Justice filed or withdrew a large number of appeals in historical abuse cases, and the budget allocated for government compensation ran out early, delaying the payment.
According to legal sources on the 29th, the Ministry of Justice on the 23rd paid Kim, the victim in the Busan roundhouse kick case, 15 million won in consolation money for the investigative agency's negligent investigation.
Earlier, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 31 single-judge panel (Judge Son Seung-woo) on Feb. 13 ruled in a damages lawsuit Kim filed against the state, saying Kim suffered harm due to a negligent police investigation, that "even though there was a strong suspicion of sexual violence, the investigative agency did not take the necessary measures," and ordered payment of 15 million won. The ruling was finalized when the Ministry of Justice waived its appeal on Mar. 5.
It took more than four months after the ruling was finalized for Kim to receive the compensation. The government compensation budget allocated this year is 144.8 billion won, but it had already been exhausted in March.
In May, the Ministry of Justice, in consultation with the Ministry of Planning and Budget and after a Cabinet meeting, secured an additional 245.7 billion won in reserve funds, enabling sequential payment of compensation to eligible recipients, including Kim.
An official at the Ministry of Justice said, "Under the Enforcement Decree of the State Compensation Act, we typically pay compensation within a week of receiving a payment claim," adding, "When payment is delayed due to budget shortages as recently, we pay delay interest together."
The early depletion of the government compensation budget was largely due to the current administration repeatedly waiving or withdrawing appeals in government compensation lawsuits related to historical abuse cases to provide relief for victims' rights. ▲ Brothers Home ▲ Seongam Academy ▲ Samcheong Education Camp ▲ the Yeosu-Suncheon 10-19 incident are such cases.
Payments of government compensation are also surging. According to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Planning and Budget, payments that were 106.7 billion won in 2024 increased to 436.4 billion won in 2025. This year, 333.7 billion won was paid out as government compensation in the first half alone.
As of the end of June, the remaining government compensation budget was 56.8 billion won, while unpaid amounts reached about 180 billion won. An official at the Ministry of Justice said, "We will secure additional reserve funds in preparation for budget exhaustion," and "we are actively consulting with the Ministry of Planning and Budget so that the government compensation budget can be increased next year."
The Busan roundhouse kick case is an incident in which, on May 22, 2022, in Seomyeon, Busanjin District, Busan, a man surnamed Lee, who had no acquaintance with Kim, followed Kim with the intent to commit sexual assault and assaulted the victim on the way home. Lee was indicted for attempted murder, but in the appellate stage, the prosecution's supplementary investigation revealed sexual violence intent, and the charge was changed to attempted rape-murder. In September 2023, the Supreme Court finalized a 20-year prison sentence, and Lee is serving his term. In March of the following year, Kim filed a damages lawsuit against the state, holding the investigative agency responsible for a negligent investigation.
In a phone call with ChosunBiz, Kim said, "It is fortunate to have received the compensation, even if late, but other victims who have struggled to have the state's responsibility recognized are waiting for payment with no timeline," adding, "Victim recovery must be achieved quickly."