SEOUL, Sep. 15 (Korea Bizwire) – The first trial in a 53.7-billion-won lawsuit raised by the National Health Insurance Corporation against major tobacco companies was held in the afternoon of September 12 at the Seoul Central District Court. The defendants in the court were KT&G, Philip Morris Korea and BAT Korea.
Chung Mi-hwa, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff, began her argument with the sea change in how people perceived cigarettes from a socially accepted habit to an addictive habit that might lead to premature death.
The attorneys focused on the fact that the defendants were aware of the risks but tried to hide it and further exacerbated the risks by putting additives to the cigarettes.
By Sean Chung (schung10@koreabizwire.com)