
AI-generated summary
The Press Arbitration Commission publishes a report every year by analyzing media-related lawsuit rulings, and this report analyzed the success rate and compensation amount by type of plaintiff and claim type for 187 media lawsuits decided last year.
Press Arbitration Commission publishes ‘2025 Media-related Judgment Analysis Report’
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Go Mi-hye = The plaintiff victory rate in media-related lawsuits decided last year was calculated to be 36%. In cases of lawsuits claiming damages, an average compensation judgment of 13.24 million won was made.
According to the Press Arbitration Commission's '2025 Media-related Judgment Analysis Report' on the 11th, this was found as a result of analyzing 187 media lawsuit rulings handed down by domestic courts at various levels last year.
Looking at the 187 cases by type of plaintiff, lawsuits filed by public figures accounted for the largest portion at 68 (36.4%), followed by lawsuits filed by the general public at 62 (33.2%). Public figures included high-ranking public officials (16 cases), politicians (16 cases), famous businessmen (8 cases), and famous journalists (7 cases).
When counting cases where multiple claims were filed together in one lawsuit, a total of 469 claims were filed in 187 lawsuits. Among them, claims for damages accounted for the most with 248 cases (52.9%), followed by claims for correction of information (24.3%), claims for article deletion (12.8%), and claims for counter-argument reporting (6.0%).
Among the 187 cases, the plaintiffs won in whole or in part in 67 cases (35.8%).
The success rate was relatively high in claims for follow-up reporting (80.0%) and claims for counter-reporting (71.4%), while plaintiffs won only 26.2% of claims for damages and 15.0% and 11.1% of claims for article deletion and reporting ban, respectively.
The success rate of public figures was 44.1%, which was more than twice higher than the 21.0% success rate of ordinary people.
The average amount cited in lawsuits claiming damages was 13.24 million won. In lawsuits against broadcasters, the average compensation was 17.25 million won, in lawsuits against internet newspapers, 10.41 million won, and in lawsuits against media companies.com, the average was 11.95 million won.
As media coverage through video platforms such as YouTube increased, 19 cases related to video platforms were also decided last year, and the plaintiffs won in 10 of these cases.
The Unification Committee explained, "In video platform reporting, the same legal principles are applied to determining liability for defamation or infringement of personal rights as in existing media-related cases, while the nature of the video platform has tended to be reflected in the damage relief method."
For example, in a case targeting a video platform, the court suggested a remedy such as posting a video of corrections, rebuttals, and follow-up reports read out on an online channel and maintaining it for 5 years.
This report also includes the full text of 22 media-related rulings from last year that contained notable legal principles.

The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service by the bereaved family of worker A, who suffered a fall accident at work and died of pulmonary embolism a month later while receiving treatment, to cancel the payment of bereaved family benefits and funeral expenses. The court determined that it was highly probable that the fractures and trauma caused by the accident caused deep vein thrombosis and led to pulmonary embolism, which led to death.

Former lawmaker Noh Woong-rae, who was found not guilty in a bribery case, was fined 700,000 won for defaming a businessman by disclosing his criminal history. The Supreme Court confirmed the original judgment and dismissed the appeal.
![[Fact Check] Fish caught in China and dried in Jeju… Can I add ‘Jeju’ to the product name?](/api/img?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.yna.co.kr%2Fetc%2Finner%2FKR%2F2026%2F10%2F07%2FAKR20261007089900518_05_i_P2.jpg&w=320&q=72&f=webp)
If fish caught in China were dried and processed in Jeju, controversy arose over whether 'Jeju' could be used in the country of origin labeling and product name. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries stated that labeling of regional names is possible if there is a connection with the manufacturing/processing process or raw materials, but the country of origin must be accurately indicated according to the fishing area or nationality of the vessel, and false labeling is subject to criminal punishment.

The Supreme Court overturned the original judgment and remanded the case to the Incheon District Court, saying that the defendant, who had been sentenced to prison for non-payment of child support, requested the appointment of a public defender at the appeal trial, but the court sentenced him without making any decision, which was an error that caused a substantial hindrance to the exercise of the right to defense.
![[Pet Animals] A series of abandoned and abandoned pets... Strengthening adoption responsibility is in place](/api/img?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.yna.co.kr%2Fetc%2Finner%2FKR%2F2026%2F10%2F10%2FAKR20261010028800030_02_i_P2.jpg&w=320&q=72&f=webp)
As there have been a series of incidents of companion animals being passed off to shelters by being passed off as lost animals or abandoned after adoption, experts have emphasized the need to improve the prevention-oriented system by mandating prior education before adoption and introducing an adoption qualification system, and related legislation is currently pending in the National Assembly.

According to data from the Ministry of Justice, an average of 68.57 million won in support funds was distributed to each prosecutor who went to overseas training over the past five years, and the number of prosecutors who left the company without completing their mandatory service period exceeded 10 during the same period. Overseas training to the United States was the most frequent, and the amount of support varied from a minimum of 13.47 million won to a maximum of 224 million won.