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Some of the lawsuits filed against the company, claiming that residents living in densely concentrated areas of briquette factories suffered from lung disease, won some cases.
The court determined that lung diseases of nearby residents, not miners or factory workers, were also the responsibility of the company.
Reporter Nam Hyo-joo from TBC.
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Jung Il-ja, who lives in Ansan-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu, had to suffer from coal powder flying from the briquette factory every day before the safe fuel complex was moved.
When the wind blew, the whole house turned black, from sports shoes to household items.
Jeong, who couldn't freely hang the laundry, eventually got pneumoconiosis.
[Jung Il-ja/Pneumoconiosis patient: I keep breathing…
Ah, what should I do?
It's ironic.
My mouth is bitter, my mouth is dry...
.] In
5 years, some of the residents near the Safe Fuel Complex, including Jung, won a lawsuit for damages against four briquette factories.
The court admitted that four plaintiffs suffered from environmental pneumoconiosis due to briquette dust, except for two who had a short period of stay or who had pneumoconiosis judgments at different medical institutions.
Accordingly, it was decided to compensate for alimony of 20 to 30 million won to 4 residents each.
[Gi-Ha Bae / Attorney (Pneumoconiosis Litigation): If the factory does not prove that nearby residents are not liable for these diseases, in principle, the factory must acknowledge the liability for damages to the residents.
In 1989, the late Park Gil-rae was recognized as the first patient with a pollution disease with a ruling that the cause of pneumoconiosis is in the briquette factory, but this is the first time that he won the environmental pneumoconiosis class suit.
(Video coverage: Choi Sang-bo TBC)