I have a burn on my face...A court doctor compensates an actress who was injured during dermatological procedures for 50 million won
Mar 20, 2025
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The 18th Civil Affairs Department of the Seoul Central District Court (Director Park Joon-min) ruled that A should compensate KRW 4,8039,295 in a lawsuit filed against a dermatologist in Seocho-gu, Seoul, saying, `B injured the actor by neglecting his duty of care during the procedure.'
According to the industry, in May 2021, A received three consecutive procedures at the hospital to improve wrinkles, including ultrasound and laser. However, during the procedure, a serious wound occurred in the left cheek area of the face, and Mr. B did not take appropriate action against this, simply putting on a wet bandage.
Since then, A has been treated for burns at another hospital, and the medical staff diagnosed the wound as having the level of second-degree burns. Until now, it has not fully recovered and has been confirmed that the scar remains enough to be seen from a distance of 2 to 3m.
A had to spend 9.55 million won to erase the wound through CG (computer graphic) work while filming the drama, which also disrupted the filming schedule.
Mr. A demanded 200 million won in compensation, claiming that Mr. B committed negligence because he failed to properly control the intensity and frequency of the procedure, which hindered the filming of the drama.
The court partially admitted Mr. A's claims. Considering that A had received the same procedure in the past, it was judged that B's negligence was obvious, not the constitutional factor caused by the dermatological procedure.
The court pointed out that there is no medical record proving that Mr. B controlled the intensity of the procedure, and the problem is that the procedure was performed without considering the patient's reaction (heat, pain) under sleep anesthesia. He also added that "the patient's skin condition should be carefully reviewed if the three procedures are performed in succession, but this caution was lacking."
However, the court judged that the 200 million won compensation requested by A was excessive. The final compensation was limited to 50 million won by combining the already spent treatment costs (11.16 million won), future treatment costs (11 million won), expected income loss (10.77 million won), and mental damage compensation (25 million won).
On the other hand, 9.55 million won in CG work expenses was not recognized as B's liability for damages. The court said "B knew that A was about to shoot a drama, but it cannot be said that he/she even recognized that he/she would spend CG expenses."
Meanwhile, the ruling was finalized without both sides appealing.
mj.cho@sportschosun.com
