Open Decision Ledger · Rehabilitation & bankruptcy
A lawsuit on a right other than the disputed rehabilitation claim
Supreme Court, Nov. 13, 2025, 2022Da240681 (judgment)
Case name: 소유권이전등기
Official text on the National Law Information Center
Question
Under Article 172(1) of the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act, does 'a lawsuit concerning a disputed claim' mean a lawsuit whose subject matter is that claim, so that a pending lawsuit on a different right cannot be taken over, and does the same apply in a summary rehabilitation procedure?
Holding
It does, in principle, not. Under Article 170(1) and Article 172(1) of the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act, 'a lawsuit concerning a disputed claim' means a lawsuit whose subject matter is that claim, so a pending lawsuit on a different right cannot be taken over under Article 172(1) unless special circumstances, such as the two rights being evaluated as socioeconomically the same claim, are shown; the same applies to the summary rehabilitation procedure, to which Article 172(1) applies through Article 293-3(1). Here the subject matter of the pending suit was the claim for transfer of ownership of the factory land and building and the claim for delivery of the machinery under the acquisition contract, not the disputed claim for the unpaid price, so the plaintiff's application for takeover was improper under that provision.
Summary of the holding, verbatim
여기에서 수계의 대상이 되는 ‘이의채권에 관한 소송’은 이의채권을 소송물로 하는 소송을 뜻하므로, 비록 이의채권과 법률상 성격은 다르지만 사회경제적으로 동일한 채권으로 평가되는 권리에 관한 소송이라는 등의 특별한 사정이 없는 한, 이의채권이 아닌 다른 권리에 관하여 계속 중인 소송은 채무자회생법 제172조 제1항에 따른 수계의 대상이 될 수 없다.
Unofficial English translation
Here, "a lawsuit concerning a disputed claim" that is subject to continuation means a lawsuit in which the disputed claim is the subject matter of suit; accordingly, unless there are special circumstances such as that it is a lawsuit concerning a right which, although different in legal nature, is evaluated as the same claim in socio-economic terms, a lawsuit pending concerning a right other than a disputed claim cannot become subject to continuation under Article 172(1) of the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act.
Disposition
Reversed and rendered by the Supreme Court Stated in the decision
원심판결을 파기하고, 원고의 항소를 기각한다. 항소제기 후의 소송총비용은 원고가 부담한다.
Unofficial English translation
The judgment of the court below is reversed, and the plaintiff's appeal is dismissed. The total costs of the lawsuit incurred after the filing of the appeal shall be borne by the plaintiff.
Form of the test
Elements stated Stated in the decision
여기에서 수계의 대상이 되는 ‘이의채권에 관한 소송’은 이의채권을 소송물로 하는 소송을 뜻하므로
Unofficial English translation
Here, "a lawsuit concerning a disputed claim" that is subject to continuation means a lawsuit in which the disputed claim is the subject matter of suit; accordingly
Factors
- 이의채권을 소송물로 하는 소송을 뜻하므로
- 사회경제적으로 동일한 채권으로 평가되는 권리에 관한 소송이라는 등의 특별한 사정이 없는 한
- 법률상 성격이 다를 뿐만 아니라 사회경제적으로 동일한 채권이라고 평가할 수도 없으며
- 이는 채무자회생법 제293조의3 제1항에 따라 제172조 제1항이 적용되는 간이회생절차에서도 마찬가지이다
Unofficial English translation
• because it means a lawsuit in which the disputed claim is the subject matter of suit
• unless there are special circumstances such as that it is a lawsuit concerning a right which, although different in legal nature, is evaluated as the same claim in socio-economic terms
• not only is it different in legal nature, but it also cannot be evaluated as the same claim in socio-economic terms, and
• the same holds true in simplified rehabilitation proceedings, to which Article 172(1) applies pursuant to Article 293-3(1) of the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act
Relation to precedent
States a new standard Read from the decision
여기에서 수계의 대상이 되는 ‘이의채권에 관한 소송’은 이의채권을 소송물로 하는 소송을 뜻하므로
Unofficial English translation
Here, "a lawsuit concerning a disputed claim" that is subject to continuation means a lawsuit in which the disputed claim is the subject matter of suit; accordingly
Decisions referred to
해당 본문 참조
Burden of proof
Not addressed Not in the decision
Open question and revisit condition
What special circumstances could make a lawsuit on a right legally different from a disputed claim a lawsuit that must be taken over under Article 172(1)?
A later decision granting or refusing takeover on the ground that two claims are socioeconomically identical would change this reading. Any amendment to Article 170(1), Article 172(1) or Article 293-3(1) of the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act also requires the entry to be read again.
Cross-family AI independent reading & axis check
7 of 8 axes matched GPT-6 Astra (OpenAI, codex CLI) · 2026-10-24
A reader from another model family (GPT-6 Astra), given the official text but not the primary reading, agreed on 7 of the 8 axes; the readings differed on axis 6 (relation to precedent).
Axis 6 (Relation to precedent): Primary “States a new standard” vs Independent “Cannot be determined”
The express rule and socioeconomic equivalence exception may be read as a new standard, while the supplied text's lack of an explicit comparison with prior precedent permits leaving the precedent relationship undetermined.
여기에서 수계의 대상이 되는 ‘이의채권에 관한 소송’은 이의채권을 소송물로 하는 소송을 뜻하므로Raw responses and comparison record: Protocol · Blind readings (JSONL) · Axis comparison (JSONL) · SHA-256 (JSON)
Lower-court contrast & scope of application
Lower-court reading vs. Supreme Court holding
Lower-court context: The Daejeon High Court, in its judgment of 19 May 2022 (2021Na51458), held that the plaintiff's application for takeover was proper. It reasoned that the claim period ended on Monday 19 October 2020 because its last day, 17 October 2020, was a Saturday under Article 161 of the Civil Act, so the application made on 18 November 2020 was within one month; and that asking for performance of the transfer of ownership and delivery when suing, and later reporting the unpaid price claim as a rehabilitation claim, differed only in the method of resolving the same economic interest of recovering that price, without a change in the basis of the claim, so the suit was a lawsuit concerning a disputed claim under Article 172(1).
Supreme Court standard: The Supreme Court accepted the finding that the application was made within the time limit, but held that the court below had misread the law on the scope of lawsuits subject to takeover under Article 172(1). The subject matter of the suit was the rights under the acquisition contract, a different right from the disputed price claim, differing in legal character and not evaluable as socioeconomically the same claim, with no special circumstances. It also observed that the statutory manager could be regarded as having taken over the proceedings under Article 59(2) of the Act, and that once the rehabilitation plan was confirmed, the claims that were the subject of the suit were forfeited under Article 251, so the suit became improper; the Court reversed the judgment and dismissed the plaintiff's appeal because the suit was improper and should be dismissed, with the costs of appeal on the plaintiff.
Distinguishing conditions
- A pending lawsuit whose subject matter is the disputed rehabilitation claim itself, since Article 172(1) applies to that lawsuit.
- A lawsuit on another right where special circumstances make the two rights socioeconomically one and the same claim.
- A right that was neither reported as a rehabilitation claim nor entered on the creditor list, since the disputed claim procedure of Article 170(1) presupposes a claim entered or reported.
Record verification notes
Fix the moment the rehabilitation procedure began and list the subject matter of every lawsuit then pending between the parties, and set it against the rehabilitation claim the plaintiff reported. Then check whether the plaintiff applied for claim adjudication under Article 170(1) within one month of the end of the claim period, or instead reported the claim now said to be the subject matter and met a dispute by the administrator. Finally check whether the plan was confirmed and whether the claim was forfeited under Article 251.
From the official text
Points at issue
[1] 채무자 회생 및 파산에 관한 법률 제172조 제1항에 따라 수계의 대상이 되는 ‘이의채권에 관한 소송’의 의미(=이의채권을 소송물로 하는 소송) 및 이의채권이 아닌 다른 권리에 관하여 계속 중인 소송이 수계의 대상이 되는지 여부(원칙적 소극) / 이는 간이회생절차에서도 마찬가지인지 여부(적극) [2] 갑 주식회사가 을에 대한 미지급 물품대금의 대물변제로 을이 운영하는 사업체의 경영권과 공장 부동산 및 기계를 양수하는 내용의 양수계약을 체결하였다고 주장하면서 을을 상대로 공장 부동산에 관한 소유권이전등기절차 이행과 기계 인도를 구하는 소를 제기하였는데, 제1심 계속 중 을에 대하여 간이회생절차가 개시되자 갑 회사가 을에 대한 미지급 물품대금 채권을 회생채권으로 신고하였으나 을의 법률상관리인이 위 소송이 계속 중이라는 이유로 이의하였고, 이에 갑 회사가 위 소송절차를 을의 법률상관리인이 수계할 것을 구하는 소송수계신청을 한 사안에서, 갑 회사의 소송수계신청은 채무자 회생 및 파산에 관한 법률 제172조 제1항에 따른 수계신청으로는 부적법하다고 한 사례
Unofficial English translation
[1] The meaning of "a lawsuit concerning a disputed claim" that is subject to continuation under Article 172(1) of the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act (= a lawsuit in which the disputed claim is the subject matter of suit), and whether a lawsuit pending concerning a right other than a disputed claim is subject to continuation (in principle, negative) / whether the same holds true in simplified rehabilitation proceedings (affirmative) [2] A case in which Company A asserted that it had entered into an assignment agreement under which, as performance in lieu of the unpaid price of goods owed by B, it would acquire the management rights of the business operated by B together with the factory real estate and machines, and filed a lawsuit against B seeking performance of the procedure for registration of transfer of ownership with respect to the factory real estate and delivery of the machines; while the action was pending in the court of first instance, simplified rehabilitation proceedings were commenced against B, whereupon Company A reported its claim against B for the unpaid price of goods as a rehabilitation claim, but B's statutory administrator objected on the ground that the aforesaid lawsuit was pending, and Company A accordingly filed an application for continuation of the lawsuit seeking that B's statutory administrator continue the aforesaid litigation proceedings; and in which it was held that Company A's application for continuation of the lawsuit was not a proper application for continuation under Article 172(1) of the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act
Summary of the holding
[1] 채무자 회생 및 파산에 관한 법률(이하 ‘채무자회생법’이라 한다) 제170조 제1항, 제172조 제1항에 따르면, 채권자목록에 기재되거나 신고된 회생채권에 관하여 관리인 등이 이의를 한 경우 그 회생채권(이하 ‘이의채권’이라 한다)을 보유한 권리자는 권리의 확정을 위하여 채권조사확정재판을 신청할 수 있고, 다만 회생절차개시 당시 이의채권에 관하여 소송이 계속하는 경우에는 회생채권자가 권리의 확정을 위하여 이의자 전원을 그 소송의 상대방으로 하여 소송절차를 수계하여야 한다. 여기에서 수계의 대상이 되는 ‘이의채권에 관한 소송’은 이의채권을 소송물로 하는 소송을 뜻하므로, 비록 이의채권과 법률상 성격은 다르지만 사회경제적으로 동일한 채권으로 평가되는 권리에 관한 소송이라는 등의 특별한 사정이 없는 한, 이의채권이 아닌 다른 권리에 관하여 계속 중인 소송은 채무자회생법 제172조 제1항에 따른 수계의 대상이 될 수 없다. 이는 채무자회생법 제293조의3 제1항에 따라 제172조 제1항이 적용되는 간이회생절차에서도 마찬가지이다. [2] 갑 주식회사가 을에 대한 미지급 물품대금의 대물변제로 을이 운영하는 사업체의 경영권과 공장 부동산 및 기계를 양수하는 내용의 양수계약을 체결하였다고 주장하면서 을을 상대로 공장 부동산에 관한 소유권이전등기절차 이행과 기계 인도를 구하는 소를 제기하였는데, 제1심 계속 중 을에 대하여 간이회생절차가 개시되자 갑 회사가 을에 대한 미지급 물품대금 채권을 회생채권으로 신고하였으나 을의 법률상관리인이 위 소송이 계속 중이라는 이유로 이의하였고, 이에 갑 회사가 위 소송절차를 을의 법률상관리인이 수계할 것을 구하는 소송수계신청을 한 사안에서, 간이회생절차 개시 당시 갑 회사와 을 사이에 계속 중인 소송의 소송물은 ‘양수계약에 따른 공장 부동산 소유권이전등기청구권과 기계 인도청구권’으로서, 이의채권인 ‘물품공급계약에 따른 물품대금 채권’과는 다른 권리이고, 그 권리들의 법률상 성격이 다를 뿐만 아니라 사회경제적으로 동일한 채권이라고 평가할 수도 없으며, 달리 채무자 회생 및 파산에 관한 법률 제172조 제1항에 따른 수계의 대상이 된다고 볼 만한 특별한 사정이 없으므로, ‘이의채권에 관한 소송’이 아닌 위 소송에서 한 갑 회사의 소송수계신청은 위 조항에 따른 수계신청으로는 부적법한데도, 이와 달리 본 원심판단에 법리오해의 잘못이 있다고 한 사례.
Order
원심판결을 파기하고, 원고의 항소를 기각한다. 항소제기 후의 소송총비용은 원고가 부담한다.
Unofficial English translation
The judgment of the court below is reversed, and the plaintiff's appeal is dismissed. The total costs of the lawsuit incurred after the filing of the appeal shall be borne by the plaintiff.
Provisions referred to
[1] 채무자 회생 및 파산에 관한 법률 제170조 제1항, 제172조 제1항, 제293조의3 제1항 / [2] 채무자 회생 및 파산에 관한 법률 제170조 제1항, 제172조 제1항, 제293조의3 제1항
Read 2026-10-24 · Cross-read 2026-10-24. All quotes matched against the official text. The Chinese-character placeholders the court used for anonymised parties are given in their Korean readings, and parenthetical Chinese-character glosses are omitted.
Every entry is published only after all quotes have been matched character by character against the official text, and audited by an independent second reading from a different model family across all eight axes. Both agreed axes and text-grounded interpretive divergences are recorded openly. The ledger is a research record, not an assessment of the court or advice on any matter.
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