Korean general insurance industry has grown fast. However, Korean auto insurance industry has experienced serious difficulties due to market saturation, high loss rate m.asiae.co.kr/view.htm?sec=n1&no=2008042408312091125 (the last access 2015.10.05.) and price regulations by authority lately. There have been various efforts to overcome the current difficult situation through the improvement and reform of automobile insurance system in Korea. There is a research proving that the current compensation system that embraces the principle of liability with fault and the liability insurance in relation to the motor vehicle accident which leads to physical injuries has a limitation on fairness, promptness, and efficiency. Firstly, looking from the fairness aspect, under the tort law compensation system, quite a few victims suffered physical injuries from motor vehicle accidents were not compensated at all, and many others who received the compensation were not appropriately compensated. Even sometimes, victims who received a serious bodily injury from motor vehicle accidents were given not enough compensation to cover their medical treatment. Secondly, looking from the promptness aspect, compensation process under the tort law compensation system is complicated and slow. As a result, victims are disadvantaged from it, this often leads to lawsuits. Thirdly, looking from the efficiency aspect, costs for operating the current compensation system is way too expensive. Younger the victim is and more serious the injury is, more court proceedings will be brought forward and the time for compensation will become even slower. This will later create transaction costs and therefore the compensation becomes inefficient. Kwon, Teckyeon, “Study on the Performance of the Personal Injury Reparation System from Automobile Accidents and the Recommendations for Future Development : The Implication of No-Fault Reparation Systems in Korea”, Sogang University, Thesis of Doctorate Degree, 2000, pp.163~172. In this context I have a very keen interest in Accident Compensation Act(AC Act) of New Zealand. In my research on the improvement of Korean automobile insurance compensation system I am trying to use AC Act of New Zealand as a model for legislation. So the purpose of this study is to examine the New Zealand accident compensation scheme, so called ‘No-fault insurance system’ But I think ACC is not a kind of insurance but belongs to a social contract. , focusing the compensation for car accident victims, A recent report shows us that public trust and confidence on the services of ACC is 60%, clients’ satisfaction is 76%, and levy payers’ satisfaction is 69% in June 2015.(“Improve our customers’ outcomes and experience”, ACC Annual Report, 2015, pp.14~15) and compare it with Korean auto liability insurance system and related laws. Thereby, I want to have useful implications for the reform of Korean automobile insurance system. This article will focus on compensating personal injury caused by car accident. Currently in Korea, the motor vehicle insurance (liability for bodily injury Ⅰ) is a compulsory insurance under the law, and also it is operated as a semi no-fault system. That is, if a driver cannot prove that a passenger had committed a suicide or had an intention to harm him or herself, a driver is liable for the compensation. Therefore, analysis of the New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Act and its outcome will become great resources in the future for us to be able to efficiently reform the motor vehicle insurance and the tort law based compensation system. Once Korea implements a one entity system (ACC) like New Zealand, issues like the conflict of compensation between social insurance and private insurance, and the problems arising from different insurance premiums will be resolved. Looking from the victim’s perspective, one entity system will provide a prompt compensation. Further, if the relevant costs can be reduced and it is more efficient because the compensation and related processes are handled by one entity only, this can be a great system in reducing the social costs.

Korean auto insurance industry has experienced serious difficulties due to market saturation, high loss rate and price regulations by authority. There have been various efforts to overcome the current difficult situation through the improvement and reform of automobile insurance system in Korea. In this context I have a very keen interest in Accident Compensation Act of New Zealand. New Zealand has an unique compensation scheme, so called ‘No-fault scheme’, for the injured people by accident including motor accident. 40 years ago, the New Zealand legislated ‘Accident Compensation Act’ by operated ACC for accomplishment the responsibility of society for the injured. In this paper, I will analysis the current situation and problems of Korean car insurance and examine NZ’s ACC. Thereby, I want to have useful implications for the reform of Korean automobile insurance system. This article will focus on compensating personal injury caused by car accident. Korean car insurance has several problems related in personal injury compensation. There are: Insufficient compensation for the victims, Inadequate compensation for the insureds, Increasing in lawsuits against insurers and Expensive medical fees. There are two ways in approaching the reform of the current Korean compensation scheme for physical injuries. Firstly, maintaining the framework of the tort law compensation system and the liability insurance in order to strengthen the social security through social welfare and social insurance. On the other hand, the compensation for a physical injury issues to be handled only by the social insurance process. The compensation system that acclimatized to the principle of liability with fault may be difficult to change it to the no-fault system straight away in the first place. However, it is important to take a step by step. Looking from the long term perspective, those steps will later shift from the fault based compensation system to the no-fault based compensation system; make worker’s compensation scheme and the accident compensation scheme unified; and finally it will become one entity system like New Zealand where all accident injuries covered under the ACC which are governed by the Accident Compensation Act. New Zealand's universal injury compensation scheme might resolve the problems of overlapped compensations by social insurance and private insurance and of different charges for medical treatments. And also it provides prompt compensations for injured persons and operates efficiently because all the processes take place in the one entity. In these respects this study on the New Zealand's accident compensation scheme will contribute to social cost reduction of the operation of auto insurance system in Korea.

한국의 자동차보험산업은 최근 신규시장의 정체와 높은 손해율, 감독기관에 의한 보험료 인상의 통제 등으로 심각한 어려움을 겪고 있다. 뿐만 아니라 한국자동차보험은 인신손해와 관련하여, 피해자에 대한 불충분한 보상, 가해운전자(피보험자)에 대한 부적절한 보상, 보험자에 대한 손해배상청구 소송의 증가와 치료비 등 의료비용의 증가로 불필요한 사회적 비용이 지출되고 있다. 과실책임을 기초로 하는 불법행위법과 자동차책임보험제도의 본질상 나타나는 한계이기도 하다. 기술의 발달로 인하여 더욱 빠르게 달리는 교통수단은 시간의 절약이라는 이익과 동시에 사고시 피해자에게 심각한 상해를 야기하는 무기로서 인식되기도 한다. 교통사고로 인한 상해라는 불행이 교통수단의 이익을 누리고 있는 모두에게 일어날 수 있는 것이라면, 현재의 과실책임에 기초한 보상제도를 ‘무과실보상(No-Fault)’이라는 ‘보상 패러다임’으로 전환하는 것도 생각해볼 수 있다. 교통사고로 상해를 입은 자는 과실여부나 가․피해자를 가리지 않고 누구라도 신속한 치료와 충분한 재활을 통하여 빠르게 사회에 복귀하도록 지원하는 것이다. 그동안 한국에서는 교통사고로 인한 인신손해보상제도의 개선을 위하여 많은 연구가 있었고, 보험회사와 감독당국도 다각도로 노력해 왔지만, ‘무과실 보상제도’에 대한 논의는 본격화되지 못하였다. 한국자동차보험의 인신손해보상제도가 안고 있는 문제점의 개선과 관련하여 저자는 뉴질랜드의 ‘사고보상기구(ACC)’의 운영경험으로부터 유용한 시사점을 얻을 수 있을 것이라 생각한다. 뉴질랜드는 1972년 사고보상법(Accident Compensation Act)을 제정하면서 자동차로 인신손해를 입은 사람에 대하여 ‘무과실 보상’을 행하고 있다. 지금부터 40년 전에 뉴질랜드는 이미 사회공동체의 원리에 기초한 무과실보상제도의 필요성을 인정하고 인신손해를 입은 사람에 대한 보상을 사회적 책임으로 수행하고 있다. 교통사고로 인하여 인신손해를 입은 자에 대하여 사고의 원인이나 과실여부를 묻지 않고, 부상의 정도에 따라 즉각적이고 동일한 보상을 행하며, 장기적으로 모든 인신손해를 하나의 전담기구를 통해 단일적으로 보상하고 있는 뉴질랜드 무과실 보상제도를 도입할 필요가 있다. 과실책임원리에 기초한 인신손해보상제도가 뿌리깊이 내린 상황에서 교통사고의 가해운전자에게 대하여까지 무과실보상을 행하여야 한다는 논의는 인신손해에 대한 패러다임의 전환을 요구하는 도전일 수도 있다. 그러나 지금은 피해자는 물론 교통사고 운전자인 가해자도 사회의 구성원으로 바라보는 공생의 관점이 필요한 때이다. 이를 통해 교통사고로 인신손해를 입은 자는 누구라도 신속하고 충분한 치료와 재활서비스를 받을 수 있고 사회복귀를 통한 사회발전에 공헌할 수 있게 된다. 가․피해자간 과실상계나 보상범위를 둘러싼 소송의 제기를 막을 수 있고, 일원화된 의료서비스를 제공함으로써 사회적 비용을 줄일 수 있기 때문이다.

한국의 자동차보험제도, 인신손해보상, 자동차보험제도 개선, 뉴질랜드 사고보상법, 뉴질랜드 사고보상기구, 인신손해에 대한 사회적 책임