Cases of Judicial Decisions Related to the Human Health Effects of Low-Dose Radiation in Korea

Background: This study is a comparative analysis of legal decisions by the Korean judiciary regarding human health effects of radiation exposure in lawsuits related to the linear no threshold hypothesis of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), particularly following the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011.Materials and Methods: The legal cases related to radiation exposure and human health effects were searched and compiled using legal databases such as ‘national law information center,’ ‘case note,’ and ‘LBOX.’ Keywords such as ‘radiation,’ ‘human health effects,’ ‘lawsuit,’ ‘radiation effects,’ and ‘disease’ were used to search for relevant legal cases, leading to the identification of a total of nine legal decisions. The original texts of these cases were analyzed. The analysis categorized the cases based on the distinction between the plaintiff, radiation doses, types of diseases, and the results of the lawsuits.Results and Discussion: Four lawsuits ruled that there is a causal relationship between radiation exposure and human health effects. These rulings were made in 2016 (two cases), 2018, and 2022. In cases where the radiation exposure doses were precisely recorded as 1.71 mSv and 2.09 mSv, the rulings also concluded that there was a causal relationship between radiation exposure and human health effects. In contrast, five lawsuits concluded that there was no causal relationship between low-dose radiation exposure and human health effects, ruling that a radiation exposure of 12.25 mSv was not related to the disease.Conclusion: Judicial rulings on radiation risks must be consistent and equitable. The ICRP recommends standards for radiation protection and dose limits. Based on these recommendations, the executive branch must establish consistent guidelines, and judicial rulings must maintain consistency in accordance with these standards.