The Story Behind Korea’s Laws: Your Guide to Korea’s Legal Pulse
CHEONGJU, Nov. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean court has ruled that a restaurant owner is legally responsible for burns suffered by a customer after an employee accidentally spilled hot soup, affirming the principle of employer liability for workplace accidents.
The Cheongju District Court ordered the restaurant owner, identified as B, to pay 36 million won (about US$26,000) in damages to the customer, A, who sustained second-degree burns on the foot and ankle when an employee spilled boiling haejangguk (hangover soup) in November 2023.
According to court records, the employee, C, slipped while carrying the soup to A’s table at a restaurant in Seowon District, Cheongju. A later filed a civil suit, arguing that B, as the employer, bore responsibility for the employee’s negligence.
Haejang-guk or hangover soup refers to every kind of guk or soup eaten as a hangover cure in Korean cuisine. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
In defense, B claimed that the customer’s seating position and the server’s handling method contributed to the accident, seeking a reduction in liability.
But Judge Lee Ju-hyun dismissed that argument, ruling that the accident resulted directly from the employee’s negligence and that “no contributory fault by the plaintiff can be recognized under the circumstances.”
The case reinforces that restaurant owners, as employers, are obligated under Korean civil law to compensate for damages caused by their employees while performing their duties.
Jerry M. Kim (jerry_kim@koreabizwire.com)
