Litigation on the merits to cancel dismissal is in progress... Government must pay salaries to both current and former directors

The court's decision to pay salary to former Director Kim Hyeong-seok, partially accepting the application for suspension of execution filed by former Director Kim Hyeong-seok, who objected to his dismissal, was finalized.

According to the legal community on the 7th, the 3rd Division of the Supreme Court (Chief Justice Heung-gu Lee) confirmed on the 2nd that the lower court's decision to partially accept the application for suspension of execution of the dismissal by former director Kim was dismissed for non-trial.

An application for suspension of execution is a request to suspend the effect of a disposition until a decision is made on the merits of the lawsuit.

After former director Kim was dismissed in February for reasons such as the controversy over the privatization of the Independence Hall of Korea and irregularities in budget execution and use of business expenses, he immediately filed a lawsuit against the government to cancel his dismissal and applied for a suspension of execution.

The Seoul Administrative Court rejected the application for suspension of execution last March, but former director Kim appealed.

The Seoul High Court, the appellate court, ruled in May that former Director Kim should be paid his salary despite the fact that his return to work as Director of the Independence Hall of Korea alongside the current Director Kim Hee-gon was likely to have a significant impact on public welfare.

The appellate court ruled that the salary should be paid, saying, "Former Director Kim is 70 years old, and there is no data to acknowledge that he has any other means of livelihood other than the director of the Independence Hall of Korea. Since he was appointed through a strict process and his term of office was guaranteed, it appears that former Director Kim planned and led a family and social life with a strong expectation of continued stable payment of salary until the end of his term."

Both parties objected, but the Supreme Court upheld this judgment.

Accordingly, the situation in which monthly salaries are paid to former Director Kim Hyeong-seok, as well as current Director Kim Hee-gon, who has been working since April 10, is expected to continue until the first trial of the main lawsuit is concluded or until August 7 next year, which is the expiration date of former Director Kim's original term.

The first argument for the main lawsuit filed by former director Kim will be held on the afternoon of the 16th of next month.