South Korea to sue VW in US over emissions scandal

Owners of Volkswagen (VW) cars in South Korea plan to file a lawsuit in the US against the German carmaker over its emission rigging scandal, their lawyer said on Tuesday.

Jason Ha, the lawyer, said the lawsuit is set to be filed with a federal court in New Jersey later this week in collaboration with Quinn Emanuel, one of the world's largest law firms handling business litigation and arbitration, Xinhua news agency reported.

Jason said the clients are seeking punitive damages in a case that prompted consumer outcry from around the world for deceiving the public about the results of emissions tests.

VW used a software that activates emission controls only when the car is going through testing in order to fake test results and pass strict emission standards, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had said.

The German auto giant -- whose brands include Audi and Bentley -- admitted to the accusation and was ordered to recall about 500,000 vehicles in the US alone.

It also admitted that about 11 million cars sold globally might be equipped with the "defeat device".

Ha said over 420 South Koreans filed a suit against VW Group, Audi Volkswagen Korea and local dealers with the Seoul court earlier in the day.

The latest move raised to nearly 700 the total number of plaintiffs who filed a similar suit in Seoul, demanding their purchase contract be nullified and the German carmaker return the money.

The German auto giant said earlier in the day it will recall 95,581 VW vehicles and 29,941 Audi units in South Korea, according to the environment ministry.