• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.33-54
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• 2008

The damage to the third parties caused by aircraft in flight shall be fully compensated to the extent that the damage didn't occur unless the damage is caused by innocent victims. However, related international Conventions limit operator's liability of compensation to certain levels, which is one of the main reasons that such international Conventions have not been ratified by many aviation leading States. However, international community has agreed, since 9/11, that the accidents caused by terrorists and the protection of the third parties need to be addressed more actively. And the amendment of the related Rome Conventions has been drafted under the ICAO leadership by the special committee that was organized to modernize the related international Conventions. This study addresses the issues related to the draft Conventions, the draft Convention for Damage caused by Aircraft to Third Parties, in case of Unlawful Interference and the draft Convention on compensation for Damage caused by Aircraft to Third Parties. It is expected that it takes considerable time to reach an agreement on all the issues from appropriate apportionment of liability between the government and operator to the details regarding the management of Supplementary Compensation Mechanism. Under the circumstances where the needs for the air transportation as well as threats of terrorism increase, the new international Convention should be prepared taking into consideration the balance between the protection of the innocent third parties and that of air transport industry including air carriers. Along with this, the Republic of Korea should actively participate in the process of amendment to the related international Conventions to protect the life and property of the people from anticipated damages.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.89-120
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• 2008

With petroleum being a major source of energy in Korea, the quantity of petroleum transported via ocean routes is on its way up due to increased consumption. Due to the increase, more than 300 cases of pollution caused by petroleum occur annually. Moreover, the number of oil-spill accidents is also on the rise. Causes of such accidents, not including the disposal of waste oil on purpose, turn out to be human error during navigation or defects in the vessels, showing that most accidents are caused by humans. Therefore, to prevent future oil spills, it is imperative that navigation efficiency be enhanced by improving the quality of navigators and replacing old vessels with newer ones. Nevertheless, such improvements cannot occur overnight, so long- and mid-term efforts should be made to achieve it institutionally. As large-scale oil-spill accidents can happen at anytime along the coastal waters of Korea, it is necessary to set-up institutional devices which go beyond the compensation limit of 92FC. The current special law regarding this issue has its limits in that it prescribes compensation be supplemented solely by national taxes. Therefore, the setting-up of a new 'national fund' is recommended for consideration rather than to subscribe to the '2003 Convention for the Supplementary Fund'. It is strongly suggested that a National fund be created from fees collected from oil companies based on the risks involved in oil transportation and according to the profiteers pay principle. In addition, a public fund should be created to handle general environmental damage, such as the large-scale destruction of the ecosystem, which is distinct from the economic damage that harms the local people. The posterior responses to the large-scale oil spill have always been unsatisfactory because of the symbolic nature of the disasters included in such accidents. Oil-spills can be prevented in advance, because they are caused by human beings. But once they occur, they inflict long-term damage to both human life and the natural ecosystem. Therefore, the best response to future oil-spills is to work to prevent them.