Court orders compulsory mediation in W200m lawsuit against Hwang Jung-min after both sides skip hearing

A Seoul court ordered compulsory mediation Friday in a 200 million won ($141,000) damages lawsuit filed against actor Hwang Jung-min after neither party appeared at the scheduled hearing.

Compulsory mediation allows a court to issue a binding settlement decision on its own authority. The decision becomes final if neither side files an objection within two weeks.

The Seoul Central District Court convened a mediation session Friday in the damages suit brought by a woman identified only as A against Hwang, but both parties were absent.

The court found that no agreement had been reached through the civil mediation process and issued a compulsory mediation order.

The terms of the decision were not disclosed.

A filed the lawsuit in February, claiming she had not been paid for work related to a soju brand development project and a novel she said she wrote at Hwang's suggestion, and that she had suffered emotional distress as a result. The claim is for 200 million won.

The court referred the case to mediation four months after receiving the complaint, in June.

A has recently posted on SNS claiming she had a personal relationship with Hwang, sharing recordings of phone calls and text messages.

She has also said Hwang proposed the soju brand project, that she handled the practical work, and that he encouraged her to write a novel, which she did.

Meanwhile, A is on trial on charges of stalking Hwang.

At a final hearing held Tuesday before Judge Kim Young-a of the criminal fourth single-judge division at the Goyang Branch of Uijeongbu District Court, prosecutors requested a fine of 10 million won. A has denied the charges. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 8.