Hot Food Spill Causes Second-Degree Burns: Pension Owner Ordered to Pay 15.75 Million Won in Compensation

Court Recognizes 80% Liability for Pension Owner

The court has ruled that a pension owner must pay over 15.7 million won in compensation after a table in the barbecue area tipped over, spilling hot food on a guest.

On August 21, Judge Jeong Ji-won of the Incheon District Court Civil Division 9 delivered a partial victory for the plaintiff in a damages claim lawsuit (Case No. 2025Gadan211166), in which guest A sued pension owner B for damages of about 29.6 million won. The court ordered B to pay A approximately 15.75 million won plus delayed damages. Attorney Jeong Ju-seop represented A.

[Facts of the Case]

In May 2024, A visited B’s pension in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, with friends. They dined at a wooden table in the outdoor barbecue area, which had benches attached on both sides. A and his friends left one side’s bench empty while three to four people sat on the opposite side; at that moment, the table tipped toward A. The hot food on the table spilled onto A, causing second-degree burns.

[Court’s Ruling (Summary)]

Judge Jeong stated, “In a barbecue area, people may repeatedly sit down and stand up, or several people may sit on just one side of a table. The owner should fix the table to the floor or provide other safety devices to prevent it from tipping even if weight is concentrated on one side, and if there is a risk of tipping, a warning sign should have been posted.”

The owner’s liability was limited to 80%. Judge Jeong set the compensation amount by combining medical expenses (about 4.85 million won), lost earnings (about 2.9 million won), and pain and suffering (8 million won).

Reporter Park Suyeon, The Law Times

※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.

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