1

A damages lawsuit filed by humidifier disinfectant victims against Lotte Shopping — which sold the product — and its manufacturer has concluded after 10 years, following the finalization of a court-recommended settlement. The victims will receive 630 million won in damages from Lotte Shopping and the manufacturer.

According to legal circles on the 13th, the Seoul Central District Court's 33rd Civil Division (Presiding Judge Choi Jong-jin) held a mediation session on the 20th of last month in the damages lawsuit filed by humidifier disinfectant victim Mr. Lee and his child against Lotte Shopping and the manufacturer of "Wiselect Humidifier Disinfectant." When mediation failed to reach agreement, the court recommended a settlement under which the defendants would jointly pay the victims 630 million won. Both sides accepted the recommendation, and it was finalized on the 11th.

A court-recommended settlement refers to a decision in which the court, exercising its own authority and taking into account the parties' interests and other circumstances, recommends a settlement — within the scope that doesn't contradict the plaintiff's claims — to fairly resolve the case. If neither side raises an objection to the court's decision within two weeks of receiving it, the recommended settlement becomes final as is.

Lee had filed the damages lawsuit against Lotte Shopping and others in May 2016, after losing his wife to harm from the humidifier disinfectant and after his child, an infant at the time, developed chronic lung disease while growing up.

The lengthy duration of the case was heavily influenced by the process of obtaining a medical assessment of the child's lung condition, as multiple hospitals repeatedly declined to conduct the assessment. Only once the assessment was finally completed earlier this year, with results issued, was the court able to conclude its review of the case. Regarding the ruling, a Lotte Shopping official said, "We have decided to accept the court's recommended settlement without objection."

The humidifier disinfectant disaster refers to the case in which a humidifier disinfectant product, launched in 1994, caused lung damage and other harm to users. A causal link between the disinfectant and lung damage was confirmed through an epidemiological investigation by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2011.

Shin Hyun-woo, former CEO of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, was the first executive from a manufacturer or distributor involved in the case to be brought to trial, and was indicted on charges including professional negligence resulting in death. The Supreme Court finalized his six-year prison sentence in 2018.

Damages lawsuits seeking accountability from companies that manufactured and sold humidifier disinfectants have continued since then. In January of this year, a court partially ruled in favor of seven humidifier disinfectant victims in a damages lawsuit against the government and disinfectant maker Sepu and others, ordering Sepu to pay 8-10 million won each to three of the victims.

Meanwhile, in February 2024, the Seoul High Court recognized the government's liability for damages related to the humidifier disinfectant disaster for the first time, a ruling the Supreme Court finalized in June of that year. In response, the government announced a comprehensive support plan last year to shift the victim relief process to a state-led compensation system.

                                                                                                         Son Seung-hyun