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Supreme Court Rejects Manufacturer Liability in BMW Sudden Acceleration Case

Supreme Court Rejects Manufacturer Liability in BMW Sudden Acceleration Case

SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling that had partially held BMW Korea liable in a fatal sudden acceleration crash, dealing a setback to victims seeking recognition of manufacturing defects in such cases. The ruling, issued earlier this month, involved a 2018 accident in which a [...]

Samsung Awaits Supreme Court Verdict on Lee Jae-yong’s Merger Case with Cautious Silence

Samsung Awaits Supreme Court Verdict on Lee Jae-yong’s Merger Case with Cautious Silence

SEOUL, July 17 (Korea Bizwire) — On the eve of a pivotal Supreme Court ruling concerning Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Samsung is maintaining a strict silence, underscoring the high stakes of a case that has shadowed the group for nearly a decade. South Korea’s Supreme Court is set to deliver its final verdict on Thursday on [...]

Top Court Rules Daily Profits from Unauthorized Music Use in Games Constitute Separate Legal Violations

Top Court Rules Daily Profits from Unauthorized Music Use in Games Constitute Separate Legal Violations

SEOUL, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) —  South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that when a company uses copyrighted music without permission in an online game, each day of unauthorized use constitutes a separate financial gain — and thus a separate legal violation subject to its own statute of limitations. The landmark decision was announced Sunday after [...]

Supreme Court Panel Sets New Sentencing Guidelines for Animal Abuse, Sexual Offenses

Supreme Court Panel Sets New Sentencing Guidelines for Animal Abuse, Sexual Offenses

SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Sentencing Commission has finalized new sentencing guidelines for previously uncovered crimes, including animal abuse and sexual offenses against protected persons, with a public hearing scheduled for next month.  The commission announced on January 14 that it had approved draft sentencing guidelines during its 136th meeting, covering sexual offenses, [...]

Supreme Court Overturns Prison Terms for Ex-heads of Humidifier Disinfectant Makers

Supreme Court Overturns Prison Terms for Ex-heads of Humidifier Disinfectant Makers

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a retrial for two former heads of humidifier disinfectant makers who had been sentenced to prison terms for producing and selling toxic products that resulted in illness and death among customers. The top court overturned the four-year prison sentences for Hong Ji-ho, former [...]

Korean Supreme Court Ruling Expands Definition of Ordinary Wages, Drawing Mixed Reactions

Korean Supreme Court Ruling Expands Definition of Ordinary Wages, Drawing Mixed Reactions

SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled on December 19 that conditional regular bonuses, tied to employment status or minimum workdays, must be included in the calculation of ordinary wages. This landmark decision overturns a 2013 precedent that required bonuses to meet strict “fixed” payment criteria to qualify, sparking significant debate [...]

Yoon Requests Parliamentary Approval for Supreme Court Appointment

Yoon Requests Parliamentary Approval for Supreme Court Appointment

SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — President Yoon Suk Yeol has requested that the National Assembly approve his appointment of Ma Yong-ju as a new Supreme Court judge, parliamentary records showed Friday. The request is another move by Yoon that exercised his presidential power, although he has publicly pledged that he would entrust state affairs [...]

South Korea’s Supreme Court Sets New Standard for On-Call Compensation in Wage Calculations

South Korea’s Supreme Court Sets New Standard for On-Call Compensation in Wage Calculations

SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – In a landmark ruling, South Korea’s Supreme Court has determined that allowances paid to nurses and clinical pathologists for “on-call duty” can only be considered part of their regular wages if they can prove they were under the hospital’s direct supervision and control during that time. The decision overturns [...]

South Korea’s Supreme Court Rules on the Admissibility of Secretly Recorded Conversations as Evidence

South Korea’s Supreme Court Rules on the Admissibility of Secretly Recorded Conversations as Evidence

SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The Supreme Court of South Korea has made a landmark ruling that the admissibility of secretly recorded conversations as evidence in court cases may be denied if they significantly invade personal privacy. The judgment came in the case of an individual referred to only as Choi and three others, who [...]