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omonatheydidAn appeals court Thursday ordered South Korea's government to pay more compensation to a North Korean refugee, who said his relatives in the North were jailed after Seoul officials leaked his identity.
The Seoul High Court awarded Lee Kwang-Su 120 million won ($111,000) in compensation after he appealed a 35 million won judgement in his favour last October.
Lee, 42, had sued the Seoul government in 2008 for 1.15 billion won.
He said he repeatedly asked officials who questioned him after his arrival in 2006 to keep his identity secret for fear of reprisals against relatives.
But the refugee said the information was quickly leaked to the media, which led to the disappearance of his kin.
Lee, who now lives in the United States, told Yonhap news agency Wednesday that 22 relatives in the North were sent to a political prison camp where he believes they would have been condemned to death.
In October last year a district court acknowledged that authorities inadvertently leaked such details, but said there was a lack of evidence about the fate of his relatives.
The appeals court ruled Thursday that Lee must be given greater compensation for stress caused by the disappearance of his kin. It said the government should have not leaked his identity "in view of special circumstances" in North Korea.
Lee arrived in South Korea with his wife and two children aboard a small boat. He claimed he had planned to go to Japan and seek asylum at the US embassy there, but the boat drifted towards the South in bad weather.
South Korea is home to more than 21,000 North Koreans who fled hunger or political oppression. There have been frequent reports of reprisals against family members left behind.
Source: AFP
The Seoul High Court awarded Lee Kwang-Su 120 million won ($111,000) in compensation after he appealed a 35 million won judgement in his favour last October.
Lee, 42, had sued the Seoul government in 2008 for 1.15 billion won.
He said he repeatedly asked officials who questioned him after his arrival in 2006 to keep his identity secret for fear of reprisals against relatives.
But the refugee said the information was quickly leaked to the media, which led to the disappearance of his kin.
Lee, who now lives in the United States, told Yonhap news agency Wednesday that 22 relatives in the North were sent to a political prison camp where he believes they would have been condemned to death.
In October last year a district court acknowledged that authorities inadvertently leaked such details, but said there was a lack of evidence about the fate of his relatives.
The appeals court ruled Thursday that Lee must be given greater compensation for stress caused by the disappearance of his kin. It said the government should have not leaked his identity "in view of special circumstances" in North Korea.
Lee arrived in South Korea with his wife and two children aboard a small boat. He claimed he had planned to go to Japan and seek asylum at the US embassy there, but the boat drifted towards the South in bad weather.
South Korea is home to more than 21,000 North Koreans who fled hunger or political oppression. There have been frequent reports of reprisals against family members left behind.
Source: AFP
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Date: 2011-05-20 12:10 pm (UTC)22 relatives =/= 120 million won
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Date: 2011-05-20 05:47 pm (UTC)