Overview

• 12,225 claimants filed Monday with the Seoul Central District Court seeking 100,000 won each for rights violations under the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law decree.
• The complaint accuses Yoon of willfully infringing basic rights and cites the martial law order as a means to derail investigations into the first lady.
• For the first time at scale, plaintiffs name Kim Keon Hee as a joint tortfeasor, alleging she pressured Yoon and aided in the decree’s enactment.
• The suit builds on a July 25 ruling that awarded 100,000 won to 104 plaintiffs but has been stayed pending Yoon’s appeal and collateral deposits.
• Claimants can join the action until its conclusion, raising the prospect of even larger mass compensation claims linked to ongoing criminal probes into insurrection and evidence tampering.