Civil lawsuits in South Korea have surged by approximately 250,000 cases over the past decade, with AI chatbot services now enabling people to draft legal documents without attorney assistance and increasing access to legal knowledge.
Critics point out that economic anxiety amid the recession has made people more sensitive to financial interests, while societal advancement has led to disputes that could be resolved through dialogue being too easily escalated to legal battles.
According to an analysis of civil litigation data from the Court Statistics Monthly Report by the Seoul Economic Daily on the 13th, a total of 4.69 million civil lawsuits were filed last year. This means roughly one in ten South Koreans is currently involved in civil litigation. The final figures, which will include some previously omitted cases, are likely to be even higher.
Civil lawsuit filings have risen steadily from 3.69 million in 2005. Statistics from the past five years show annual increases except for 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. First-instance civil trial cases—indicating formal court proceedings have begun—grew nearly 10% over three years, from 744,123 in 2022 to 809,338 last year.
Meanwhile, pre-trial settlements that conclude cases before formal proceedings have been declining. This suggests more people are seeking legal verdicts rather than resolving conflicts through dialogue. Pre-filing conciliation cases dropped 26%, from 11,740 in 2015 to 8,652 in 2024.
"The spread of individualism and an increasingly impersonal social atmosphere are naturally leading to more interpersonal friction and courtroom disputes," said Jin Hyun-soo, managing partner at Decent Law Firm. "Additionally, the introduction of law schools has increased the number of attorneys and made legal fees more reasonable, creating an environment where ordinary citizens can file lawsuits much more easily."
