Can a financial company avoid mediation by filing a lawsuit during the dispute mediation process?

In small claims disputes, i.e., cases filed by general financial consumers in which the value of the rights or interests claimed is KRW 20 million or less, once the mediation procedure has begun, the financial company may not file a lawsuit until the mediation proposal has been presented.

In addition, if litigation is pending in a case for which mediation has been requested, the court may suspend the litigation until the mediation ends. These rules are designed to prevent financial companies from avoiding dispute mediation through litigation.