South Koreans sue government over climate change, saying policy violates human rights
Plaintiffs including 17-month-old boy nicknamed Woodpecker bring landmark climate litigation in South Korea, the first in Asia to get a public hearing.
SEOUL — As plaintiffs, lawyers and activists chanted slogans outside South Korea's constitutional court on Tuesday, 17-month-old Woodpecker giggled, sending ripples of laughter through the crowd.
Woodpecker is the nickname of Choi Heewoo, the youngest among more than 250 plaintiffs involved in Woodpecker et. al. v., one of four petitions filed since 2020 that the court is considering together in a landmark case.
