More South Koreans joined a lawsuit against the governments of Seoul and Beijing, seeking compensation over mental distress they suffered due to fine dust in the country.

The class action suit, filed in April with seven plaintiffs including Choi Yeol, president of the Korea Green Foundation, now has a total of 88 plaintiffs, each demanding 3 million won ($2,660) in compensation from both governments.


“A number of people suffer from weakened immune system and respiratory diseases because of fine dust,” said the plaintiffs in a petition, adding that fine dust levels were “intolerable” from March to April this year.

It was the first class action against the governments over the air pollution issue.

South Korea has suffered from fine dust particles covering the nation’s sky for most days in spring, with the exact sources of the dust still unknown. Dust from China’s coal plants and domestic smog are widely believed to be the causes.

In the lawsuit, pending at the Seoul Central District Court, they accuse the Chinese government of failing to perform its duty as a member of the international community to manage pollutants and criticized the Korean government for failing to take measures.

“The purpose of this suit is to lay the groundwork for Korea and China, which are to lead Asia in a new era through mutual efforts and to find the exact cause of the fine dust,” the plaintiffs said in the petition, adding that they plan to donate the compensation money to a charity if they win the case.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)