Lawyer who lost teen death case says her mistakes 'will make the world remember the girl's death'

(Herald DB)

A South Korean lawyer, whose repeated failures to attend hearings lost the case of a death caused by school bullying, did not show up at her own court hearing Tuesday. A statement she submitted to the court said she hadn't shown up so that "the world wouldn't forget the victim's death."

Lawyer Kwon Gyeong-ae is currently on trial for damages filed by the bereaved family of a bullying victim. The victim's family said that Kwon's absence in court caused them to lose a six-year legal battle over the teenage girl's death, which they said was the result of school bullying.

After the case was publicized in April 2023, previously outspoken Kwon disappeared from the public eye after promising financial compensation to the family for her blunder.

"I think a series of incomprehensible accidents and mistakes happened to me so that the world would not forget the death of Ju-won (the victim)," Kwon wrote the statement. Kwon also claimed that her neglect of her duties did not cause the family to lose the case.

Lee Gi-cheol, the mother of the bullying victim, said Kwon's lawyer told the family that she could not come to court because of all the reporters. Lee noted that Kwon has yet to apologize to the victim's family, nor has she spoken to them directly since the case was publicized last year.

Kwon represented Lee and her family in a civil lawsuit seeking compensation for the 2015 death of the girl. The family partially won the case in 2019 and the court ordered one of the plaintiffs to pay the family 500 million won ($370,000). However, Kwon failed to show up for hearings three times in the appellate case, which led to the court overturning the previous ruling under Article 268 of the Civic Procedure Act, which regards such absences as showing intent not to pursue the lawsuit.

As for the reason for her first absence, Kwon told the family that she had collapsed on her way to court. She said the second absence was caused by the fact she wrote the wrong date down, and that the third absence was because the judge allegedly told her the wrong date. None of Kwon's claims have been verified.

Kwon also refused to make a public apology according to Lee's request, saying that doing so would destroy her reputation.

On top of receiving no compensation for their daughter's death, the girl's family has been forced to shoulder the legal fees for the trials, according to South Korean law.

Kwon has been suspended from her legal duties for a year by the Korean Bar Association. The suspension went into effect on Aug. 12, 2023.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)