The Ministry of Environment announced yesterday (6-11) that it will amend their Environmental Health Law.
It will introduce a punitive damages system for environmental diseases.
Environmental diseases are recognized as diseases related to environmentally harmful factors. These include respiratory and allergic diseases caused by air pollution, asbestos, water pollutants, and humidifier disinfectants. Businesses will have to pay three times the normal amount of compensation that victims would normally receive. The size of the compensation was determined by considering the harmfulness of environmental harmful factors, the intention of the operator, the level of recognition of the risk of damages, and efforts to reduce damages.
The Ministry of Environment said, "This revision is meaningful because punitive damages are extended to health damage caused by environmentally harmful factors."