Korea seeks another lawsuit against Volkswagen

The South Korean government is pursuing another lawsuit against Volkswagen Korea over its emissions-rigging scandal, following a previous suit last week.

The Ministry of Environment filed a second lawsuit against Volkswagen Korea managing director Johannes Thammer and Terence Bryce Johnson, the head of overseas sales with Audi at the Volkswagen Group, for failing to acquire car certifications from the government and not meeting the emissions requirements.

Yonhap

Since the previous vehicle certification has been nullified over emissions rigging, it can be considered not acquiring the certification, the ministry said. The top court’s ruling precedent said that the cancellation of administrative action can be retroactively applied to the effect of the formerly valid administrative action, it added.

If the charges are confirmed, the accused can be punished by up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won ($83,200).

Last week, the government filed a lawsuit against the German carmaker for not meeting the country’s legal requirement in its recall plan.

The ministry, however, said it would not seek a civil lawsuit over air quality damages, citing legality issues.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)