By Nam Hyun-woo
Kuo Tzu-chien, a famous comedian in Taiwan, is leading a protest against Korea’s judiciary, which has developed into anti-Korean sentiment there for a personal reason — hot water burns from a kettle in a hotel room in Seoul two years ago.
Kuo was in Seoul, Wednesday, telling The Korea Times, “Korea’s justice is not of international quality,” before his first appeal hearing at the Seoul High Court.
In August last year, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed his claim for 460 million won in compensation against the Ramada Hotel and Suites Seoul in Namdaemun, saying, “There was a possibility Kuo damaged the kettle by accident.”
He argued that it was a defective electric kettle — its bottom part already broken when he checked in the hotel room.
“The court ruled as if my client hurt himself to get compensation and this is a clear insult,” said Shui-ming Chuang, his attorney.
Upon returning home, he launched a series of protests with his fellow Taiwanese TV personalities and filed a petition to the Taiwan Human Rights Association. Backed by the watchdog, the 50-year-old launched a campaign of collecting 10,000 signatures.
A number of TV personalities and political figures supported his move. He stressed that he launched the protest just to show the unfairness of the ruling and Korea’s justice system, not to stir up anti-Korea sentiment.
“Just before we arrived in Seoul Tuesday afternoon, some anti-Korea protests were ongoing,” Kuo said. “Though I cannot be sure, the protests may have affected many TV personalities in Taiwan and that may have grown into a public anti-Korea protest.”
A day before he headed to Seoul, he held a press conference and said he and his lawyer have plenty of evidence that can prove their case.
His protest is supported by powerful figures in Taiwanese. According to Focus Taiwan, a Taiwanese news outlet, former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Lai Kun-cheng, who is also a lawyer, attended the conference and said he thought Kuo had a good chance of winning his appeal.