Families of jet crash victims sue Cambodian airline for US$4 million

(ATTN: UPDATES from 3rd para with court spokesman quote, envisioned trial)
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- The families of over a dozen Koreans killed in a Cambodian jet crash last year have sued the airline, demanding US$4 million in compensation for its failure to prevent the errors that caused the accident, a Seoul court said Friday.
All 22 passengers and crew members, including 13 Koreans, were killed when a PMT
Air propeller plane went down over a mountain in June last year. The Russian-made
jet was flying from Siem Reap, home of the famous Angkor Wat temple, in southern
Cambodia.
Investigators broadly concluded that the accident was caused by a technical error
on behalf of the pilot, problems with the airport's automated radar terminal
system and defects in the plane.
A group of 11 families filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court,
accusing the airliner of failing to prevent the human and mechanical errors. The
families are demanding 4.5 billion won (US$4 million) in compensation for loss of
income, funeral fees and for emotional duress, according to Judge Hong Joon-ho,
the court spokesman.
"As the employer of the pilot of the plane and the contracted party for passenger
transportation, PMT Air is responsible for compensation for damages incurred by
the accident," the families claimed in the court document submitted on Tuesday.
The families filed the suit in Seoul as the Cambodian airline is known to hold
assets in South Korea, which will help simplify the compensation process for
families if their claim is upheld, Hong said.
According to international law, illegal activities fall under the jurisdiction of
the country where they occur. Hong, however, said a key question is over the
setting of the amount of compensation, given differences between Korean and
Cambodian law.
"The compensation issue, which remains uncertain, will be debated in court," he
said.