A court has found the owner of an indoor children’s play facility partially liable after an elementary school student fell from a play structure and sustained a serious wrist fracture in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The accident occurred in April 2023 at a free play facility inside a large shopping mall. The child fell while playing on top of a baseball cap-shaped structure that was more than one metre high and sloped steeply toward the floor.
The facility was primarily recommended for children aged seven and under. A notice at the entrance requested that elementary students refrain from entering and stated that guardians should accompany children, but strict age controls were not enforced. The court found there were no warning signs around the structure telling children not to climb it. A designated safety manager was also frequently absent from their post.
The Suwon District Court determined that the owner had not implemented adequate protective measures and ordered payments of 10,039,559 won to the child and 2.5 million won to her mother. However, the court limited the owner’s liability to 40 percent after also considering the mother’s responsibility for supervision. The child had required major surgery, including pin fixation, following the wrist fracture.
