Seoul Central District Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul. News 1
– It was confirmed that a North Korean company filed a lawsuit against a South Korean company in a South Korean court saying, “It did not receive 5.3 billion won.” This is the first time that a North Korean company has filed a lawsuit against a South Korean company.
The Seoul Central District Court announced on the 25th that it had recently concluded the pleadings on the lawsuit for damages claim filed by Company A in Pyongyang against Company B in South Korea, and that it plans to hold a sentence in April.
Since the South Korean constitution applies sovereignty, constitution, and laws to the North Korean region, North Korean companies can also file a lawsuit in South Korea through a South Korean agent.
In February 2010, South Korean company B, a zinc processing and exporting company, signed a contract to purchase 2,600 tons of zinc with North Korean company A for 6 million dollars (about 6.7 billion won). Company A argued that “It did not receive the balance of 5.3 billion won,” and Company B said, “It has already paid the balance to Company A through a Chinese intermediate company.” Eventually, Company A filed a lawsuit in South Korea with a domestic businessperson facing North Korea as its agent.
Meanwhile, whether remittances were actually made to North Korean companies is expected to be controversial. This is because ‘5·24 measures’ have been enforced since the 2010 Cheonan bombing incident, and strong sanctions have been imposed on North Korea. It is argued that Company A is not a violation of sanctions against North Korea because it is a transaction before the Cheonan bombing.
The Ministry of Unification said through a media interview, “I know that there is a dispute between South and North Korean companies,” and “We are grasping the details.”
Reporter Seok-Hyun Ko [email protected] 
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