A man in his 20s recently fell victim to a 50,000 won ($35) scam on a secondhand trading platform. Rather than let it go, he tracked down the fraudster through past transaction records and filed a civil lawsuit at Seoul Central District Court.
"This is a case we never would have seen in court before," the presiding judge said. "The barrier to litigation has lowered, making it easy for people to file suits."
Welcome to South Korea's litigation boom, where citizens increasingly choose courtrooms over compromise—even when legal fees exceed the amount in dispute.
At a metropolitan court recently, a plaintiff sued over a 5 million won ($3,500) business settlement dispute. With both sides hiring attorneys, the legal costs likely exceeded the contested amount.
"There are cases where people spend more than 5 million won in attorney fees over a 5 million won dispute," said Roh Jong-eon, a lawyer at Law Firm Jonjae. "These are classic examples where anger outweighs personal financial interest."
Civil lawsuits in South Korea reached 4.69 million cases last year, according to court statistics. Civil enforcement cases—where courts forcibly execute judgments against non-compliant debtors—hit 1.27 million, up 60% from 800,000 in 2015.
The surge reflects deepening economic anxiety amid high interest rates and a wave of jeonse (lump-sum deposit rental) fraud cases that have devastated tenants nationwide.
One man in his early 30s discovered this firsthand. After paying a 200 million won jeonse deposit for a newly built villa in a Seoul metropolitan new town two years ago, he received notice that the property was being auctioned. Despite filing a move-in report, his name appeared nowhere on the distribution schedule. He is currently in litigation.
Rental deposit lawsuits more than doubled from 3,720 cases in 2022 to 7,789 in 2024. Indemnity and loan recovery suits rose to 32,013 first-instance cases in 2024, up from 29,700 in 2020.
The introduction of electronic filing has made litigation more accessible than ever. A sitting judge who handles civil cases said plaintiffs can now file from home "with just a few clicks."
Personal relationships offer no immunity. Last year, a woman in her 30s was sued by her ex-boyfriend for approximately 10 million won he had given her during their relationship. After she discovered his infidelity and ended the relationship, he demanded repayment. Unable to prove the money was a loan rather than a gift, he lost the case.
"Claims that never would have become lawsuits before are now flooding the courts," said Lim Dong-han, a lawyer at Law Firm Dongin. "The burden on judicial resources is intensifying due to the increase in planned litigation and multi-party suits."
For small claims, court fees are minimal and same-day verdicts are possible. "Some people seem to approach it with the mindset of 'let me try out a lawsuit,'" the judge said.