South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has presented more than 1.5 million citizen signatures to an appellate court, reinforcing public support for its ongoing 50 billion won ($38 million) damages lawsuit against leading tobacco companies over smoking-related healthcare costs. (Image courtesy of NHIS)
SEOUL, July 28 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has submitted over 1.5 million citizen signatures to an appeals court in support of its ongoing 50 billion won ($38 million) damages lawsuit against major tobacco companies, signaling strong public backing in a legal battle over smoking-related health costs.
The NHIS announced on Sunday that it had delivered both the signatures and a written statement from NHIS President Chung Jin-seok to the Seoul High Court on July 25. The signatures were collected through a national campaign that ran from March to June and exceeded the agency’s original goal of 1 million participants.
“This overwhelming response reflects the public’s call for justice against tobacco companies,” the NHIS stated. President Chung, a respiratory medicine specialist, emphasized in his testimony the addictive nature of tobacco and the causal link between smoking and lung cancer.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2014 against KT&G, Philip Morris Korea, and BAT Korea, seeks 53.3 billion won in reimbursement for treatment costs paid out by the NHIS for 3,465 patients who smoked for at least 20 years and were later diagnosed with lung or laryngeal cancer.
In 2020, a lower court ruled against the NHIS, citing insufficient evidence to exclude other potential risk factors such as genetics or lifestyle. The appellate court concluded its final hearing in May, though a ruling date has yet to be set.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
