Man wins W1.4b, putting to bed legal battle surrounding wife’s death

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed that a man in his 50s surnamed Park is eligible to receive 1.2 billion won ($900,000) in compensation for the death of his wife, surnamed Kim, as well as an additional 240 million won in compensation for the delay in receiving an initial payout, which should have been awarded in 2020.

The ruling follows the top court's previous ruling which found Park guilty of causing death by negligence in 2020. The prosecution at the time had sought murder charges against Park.

The second division of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice Cheon Dae-yeop sided with Park, ruling that he is eligible to receive a payout from the National Credit Union Federation of Korea and two insurance companies, upholding the Seoul High Court’s decision, according to local media reports.

The ruling ends Park's four-year legal battle against the prosecution and insurance institutes who suspected that he had deliberately killed his wife in 2018 on Geumo Island, Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

Dubious circumstances

The circumstances around Kim's death remain unclear, as there were no witnesses in the vicinity of the incident, which occurred next to the sea on a winter's night on a sparsely inhabited island.

Kim died from drowning after the car she was in fell into the water.

The accident occurred at 10 p.m. on December 31, 2018. Park had gotten out of the car, leaving it in neutral, to check the exterior of his vehicle after bumping into a fence.

Park's car rolled along the dock and into the water. One of the car's windows was open, which allowed water to quickly overwhelm the car. Park said he had opened the window earlier to get some fresh air.

Kim reportedly called 119 to ask for help as the car sank, but she was found dead an hour later.

Security camera footage near the location shows that Park went to a nearby residence minutes after the accident to ask for help instead of attempting to help his wife.

The couple traveled to the area to catch the New Year sunrise, having married three weeks before the accident.