Naver to pay Neighbors for Glare from Headquarters

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Net portal Naver to compensate residents living near its headquarters for damage due to the glare from its glass façade.

Sixty-8 neighbors filed a W3.5 billion lawsuit against Naver in 2016 declaring sunlight reflected off the setting up blighted their everyday lives (US$1=W1,115).

Reversing a decision simply by the Seoul Huge Court, the Supreme Court explained the "inconvenience suffered simply by the residents went over and above ordinary limits" and also ordered Naver to solution the problem.

In common with various prestige high-risers, the 28-report Naver building in Bundang, southern Seoul, is entirely faced in glass, and the glare flashes directly into two apartment complexes 110 m away.

A lower court sided with the residents, but the Seoul Excessive Court determined that the glare was "bearable" and didn't prevent neighbors from browsing or sewing or diminished their eyesight.

However the Supreme Court discovered that destruction from reflected light should be judged by different criteria than natural sunlight. It found that the amount of visual impairment due to up to three hours of reflected rays during seven to nine a few months of the year exceeds normal degrees of brightness by 440 to 29,200 circumstances, which "impairs the home purposes of their homes."

The case sets an important precedent for equivalent lawsuits here. In the West, countless lawsuits have been successfully brought, notably against Rafael Viñoly's Walkie Talkie in London, whose glare was fierce more than enough to fry an egg.

The problem can usually be alleviated by installing louvers or a non-reflective coating on the offending façade.