[Intl-tobacco] =?X-UNKNOWN?Q?Testimony_Gets_Underway_In=A0=A0Nation's_First_To?= =?X-UNKNOWN?Q?bacco_Lawsuit_=28fwd=29?=

[Robert Weissman]

Testimony Gets Underway In=A0=A0Nation's First Tobacco Lawsuit
Source: Korea Herald, Saturday, 3/11/00

The Seoul District Court yesterday began hearing testimony in the nation's
first tobacco lawsuit, filed by 31 sick smokers and their families against
the state and the state-run Korea Tobacco and Ginseng Corp.

A 57-year-old man suffering from terminal lung cancer, identified only as
Kim, and five other smokers and their families filed the lawsuit last
December, seeking 307 million won ($260,000) in state compensation for
smoking-related illnesses.

In his testimony, Kim claimed that smoking for 37 years had resulted in
his diagnosis last year with terminal lung cancer.

He accused the state-run tobacco company of failing to remove
cancer-causing ingredients such as nicotine and tar from its cigarettes,
and of not adequately warning consumers of the health hazards of smoking.

Bae Keum-ja, one of a group of lawyers representing the plaintiffs,
presented medical reports from the United States, Britain and Japan as
evidence of the links between smoking and lung cancer.

She also made an application to inspect the Korea Ginseng & Tobacco
Research Institute in Taejon.

"An investigation of the facility would allow us to gather compelling
evidence of the dangers of smoking, such as data on harmful ingredients
like tar and nicotine, inspection data on new tobacco products and
statistics on nicotine content," Bae said.

The lawyers' group also requested the right to collect medical records
from hospitals where lung cancer patients are diagnosed, and to take court
testimony from plaintiffs in advance. The group said many of the
plaintiffs are terminally ill and might not live to see the end of the
trial.

Meanwhile, Park Kyo-son, a lawyer defending the state tobacco firm, said
there is no evidence linking smoking to lung cancer.

Even in the United States, no single lawsuit has ever been won by an
individual seeking damages for a tobacco-related illness, Park said.