Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 91다40931

Severance Pay (퇴직금) Case퇴직금

Decided1992. 09. 22. Court대법원Worker won
AI-generated English translation (summary, key points, decision summary and full text) for reference only — not an official translation and without legal effect. The Korean original below is authoritative.
AI Easy read — AI summary of this decision
AI-generated summary for reference only — the Korean original below is authoritative.

A worker formally submitted a resignation letter (사직원) and received severance pay (퇴직금), but the Supreme Court found this to be a declaration of intent not reflecting the worker's true intention (진의 아닌 의사표시), and therefore invalid. Since the company was aware that the resignation was not genuine, the employment relationship was deemed to have continued without interruption, and the Court ruled that tax withholding on severance pay must occur at the actual time of payment. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the worker and ordered the company to pay additional severance pay.

Key takeaways
  • CaseA worker formally submitted a resignation letter and received severance pay, but this was done under pressure and did not reflect the worker's genuine intent.
  • OutcomeThe Supreme Court ruled that since the company knew the resignation was not genuine, it was invalid, meaning the employment relationship continued, and ordered the company to pay additional severance pay.
  • LessonIf a resignation letter or severance pay receipt was completed under coercion or as a mere formality rather than true intent, it may be deemed legally invalid, so employers must ensure that resignation processes reflect a worker's genuine will to have legal effect.
Issues
  • Whether an employment relationship is deemed to have continued when a worker formally resigns and is later rehired
  • The timing and method of income tax withholding (원천징수) when severance pay (퇴직금) is disbursed
Key reasoning

The Court held that both the submission of the resignation letter and the receipt of severance pay constituted a declaration of intent not reflecting the worker's true intention (진의 아닌 의사표시), rendering them legally invalid. Because the company was aware that the resignation was not genuinely intended by the worker, the employment contract was never actually terminated, meaning the employment relationship continued uninterrupted. Additionally, the Court clarified that the obligation to withhold income tax (원천징수) arises only at the point when income is actually paid, so tax cannot be deducted in advance based on an anticipated payment schedule. This reasoning supported the worker's claim for additional severance pay reflecting the continuous service period.

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

a. Even where an employee, having joined the company as a workman, submitted a letter of resignation and even received retirement pay, and thereafter went through the formalities of retiring and re-entering the company, if the submission of the letter of resignation or the receipt of the retirement pay contained a manifestation of intent to resign, such manifestation of intent was not a genuine declaration of intent and the company was aware of this fact, and therefore it is void; even though the company took the form of accepting the manifestation of intent to retire, it cannot be said that the labor contract with the company was thereby terminated, extinguished, and came to an end, and this is likewise so even though the employee received the retirement pay.

나. Under the Income Tax Act (소득세법), the fact that the person paying an amount of income bears the duty to withhold and pay tax presupposes that the recipient bears the underlying withholding tax liability; where the recipient's withholding tax liability has not arisen, the payer's withholding duty, which is premised thereon, cannot arise either.

다. Pursuant to Article 21(2)1 of the Framework Act on National Taxes (국세기본법), the duty of the person obligated to collect and pay income tax, etc. subject to withholding arises, in principle, at the time the amount of income is paid, and the time at which the recipient's corresponding duty to accept the withholding arises is likewise the same; therefore, the payer may not collect and deduct the withholding tax amount in advance before the time of payment of the said amount of income, and it cannot be said that, merely because income is subject to withholding, the scope of the income itself is naturally reduced by the amount of the withholding tax.

라. Where, in a lawsuit, a person obligated to withhold income tax, etc. is ordered to pay retirement pay without deduction of the withholding tax amount, the person obligated to withhold may withhold the income tax, etc. at the stage of paying the retirement pay in accordance with the judgment once it becomes final and conclusive; and if the recipient of the income refuses to accept the retirement pay with the withholding tax amount deducted, the person obligated to withhold may make a deposit for discharge of the obligation (변제공탁); and doing so cannot be said to violate Article 182(1) of the Income Tax Act (소득세법).

Full text (English, AI translation) 5,683 chars

[Plaintiffs, Appellees] Plaintiff 1 and 1 other, Plaintiffs' Attorneys Byun Gap-gyu and 1 other
[Defendant, Appellant] Chosun Beer Co., Ltd., Defendant's Attorney Hong Gi-bae
[Judgment Below] Seoul High Court Decision 91Na11577 rendered on October 2, 1991

[Order]

The appeal is dismissed.
The costs of the appeal shall be borne by the Defendant.

[Reasoning]

We examine the grounds of appeal.

As to Ground No. 1
Upon review of the reasoning of the judgment below in light of the record, although the Plaintiffs joined the Defendant company as factory workers, submitted letters of resignation, received their retirement allowances, and thereby took the form of resigning and then rejoining the company, even if the Plaintiffs' submission of resignation letters or receipt of retirement allowances contained a declaration of intent to resign, such declaration was not a genuine expression of intent, and since the Defendant company was aware of this, it is invalid; the court below's determination that the Plaintiffs continuously worked until the date of their actual retirement in this case is justified and may be upheld. There is no violation of the rules of evidence or misapprehension of legal principles as argued by the Defendant (see this Court's Decision 90Da13222 rendered on May 24, 1991), and the precedent cited by the Defendant is not applicable to this case.

Furthermore, whether the Defendant company obtained a mediation decision from the government authorities in amending the collective agreement has no bearing on the outcome of this case, and even if the Plaintiffs received the benefits alleged by the Defendant while formally retiring, this does not warrant a finding that the employment relationship between the Plaintiffs and the Defendant company was severed thereby.

Therefore, the argument made from the opposing position is without merit.

As to Grounds No. 2 and 3
Upon examination of the record, it cannot be said that the fact-finding of the court below violates the rules of evidence, nor can it be said that there was any failure to exhaust the necessary deliberation. According to the findings of the court below, the Plaintiffs' expressions of intent to retire midway through, made under the circumstances set forth in the judgment, were not genuine expressions of intent, and since the Defendant company was aware of this, they are invalid; therefore, even though the Defendant company took the form of accepting these declarations of intent to retire, it cannot be said that the employment contract with the Defendant company was terminated, ended, or extinguished thereby, and the same conclusion applies even though the Plaintiffs received retirement allowances under the circumstances set forth in the judgment.

Moreover, it cannot be said that the court below erred in interpreting Defendant's Exhibits 1-2 and 3-2 (each a letter of resignation) in its fact-finding, or that it violated the rules of evidence, and it cannot be said that the judgment below contains an error of misapprehending the legal principles concerning declarations of intent that are not genuine.

This argument is also without merit.

As to Grounds No. 4, 5, and 6
1. Under the Income Tax Act (소득세법), the obligation of a payer of income to withhold and pay tax at source presupposes the existence of the recipient's obligation to bear the withholding tax; where the recipient's withholding tax liability has not arisen, the payer's corresponding withholding obligation, which is premised thereon, cannot arise either. Pursuant to Article 21, Paragraph 2, Item 1 of the Framework Act on National Taxes (국세기본법), the payment obligation of a person obligated to withhold income tax, etc., arises in principle at the time the income is paid, and the time at which the recipient's corresponding obligation to accept such withholding arises is the same; therefore, the payer cannot withhold and deduct the withholding tax amount prior to the time of payment of said income, and it cannot be said that the scope of income subject to withholding is, as a matter of course, reduced by the amount of the withholding tax itself (see this Court's Decisions 87Nu407 rendered on September 27, 1988; 86Daka2872 rendered on October 24 of the same year; and 91Da38075 rendered on May 26, 1992, respectively).

2. Therefore, it cannot be said that the court below's measure of ordering the Defendant to pay the retirement allowance without deducting the withholding tax amount in this case was unlawful. In such a case, the Defendant may withhold the income tax, etc., at the stage of paying the retirement allowance in accordance with this judgment once it becomes final, and if the Plaintiffs refuse to receive the retirement allowance with the withholding tax amount deducted, the Defendant may deposit the payment for discharge of obligation (변제공탁); doing so cannot be said to violate Article 182, Paragraph 1 of the Income Tax Act.

Although there are some inappropriate portions in the reasoning of the court below's determination on this point, the conclusion of that determination is justified, and the precedent cited by the Defendant is not applicable to this case.

3. Accordingly, it cannot be said that the judgment below contains a failure to exhaust deliberation or a misapprehension of legal principles as argued by the Defendant, and this argument is also without merit.

Therefore, the appeal is dismissed, and the costs of the appeal are to be borne by the losing party. This judgment is rendered as stated in the Order by the unanimous opinion of the participating Justices.

Justice Choi Jong-young (Presiding Justice), Lee Hoi-chang, Bae Man-woon, Kim Seok-su

【판결요지】

가. 근로자가 공원으로 입사하였다가 사직원을 제출하고 퇴직금까지 수령한 후 퇴사, 재입사의 형식을 취하였으나 그 사직원 제출이나 퇴직금 수령에 사직의 의사표시가 담겨져 있었다 하더라도 이는 진의 아닌 의사표시로서 회사도 이를 알고 있어서 무효이고, 회사가 퇴직의 의사표시를 수리하는 형식을 취하였다고 하여 회사와의 근로계약이 해지되어 종료되고 소멸되었다고 할 수 없으며, 근로자가 퇴직금을 수령하였다고 하여도 마찬가지라고 한 사례.

나. 소득세법상 소득금액의 지급자가 원천징수납부의무를 부담하는 것은 수급자의 원천납세의무부담이 전제되어 있는 것으로서 수급자의 원천납세의무가 성립하지 아니한 경우는 이를 전제로 한 지급자의 원천징수 의무도 성립할 수 없다.

다. 국세기본법 제21조 제2항 제1호에 의하여 원천징수하는 소득세 등에 대한 징수의무자의 납부의무는 원칙적으로 그 소득금액을 지급하는 때에 성립하는 것이고 이에 대응하는 수급자의 수인의무의 성립시기도 같다고 할 것이므로 지급자가 위 소득금액의 지급시기 전에 미리 원천세액을 징수, 공제할 수 없는 것이며, 원천징수의 대상이 되는 소득이라고 하여 소득의 범위 그 자체가 당연히 원천세액만큼 감축되는 것이라고 할 수 없다.

라. 소송에서 소득세 등의 원천징수의무자에게 원천징수세액을 공제하지 아니한 퇴직금의 지급을 명한 경우 그 원천징수의무자로서는 그 판결이 확정되어 그에 따라 퇴직금을 지급하는 단계에서 소득세 등을 원천징수하면 될 것이고, 만일 소득의 수급자가 원천징수세액을 공제한 퇴직금의 수령을 거절하면 변제공탁하면 될 것이며, 이렇게 하는 것이 소득세법 제182조 제1항에 위반된다고 할 수 없다.

【참조조문】

가. 민법 제107조, 근로기준법 제28조 / 나.소득세법 제142조 제1항 / 다. 국세기본법 제21조 제2항 제1호, 소득세법 제21조 / 라. 같은법 제149조, 제182조 제1항

【참조판례】

가. 대법원 1991. 5. 24. 선고 90다13222 판결(공1991,1723), 1992. 7. 10. 선고 92다3809 판결(공1992,2363), 1992. 8. 14. 선고 92다21036 판결(공1992,2667) / 나.다.라. 대법원 1992. 5. 26. 선고 91다38075 판결(공1992,2001) / 나. 대법원 1986. 10. 28. 선고 86누323 판결(공1986,3143), 대법원 1988. 9. 27. 선고 87누407 판결(공1988,1349) / 다. 대법원 1988. 10. 24. 선고 86다카2872 판결(공1988,1459)

【주문】·【이유】 전문 2,069자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고, 피상고인】 원고 1 외 1인 원고들 소송대리인 변호사 변갑규 외 1인

【피고, 상고인】 조선맥주 주식회사 소송대리인 변호사 홍기배

【원심판결】 서울고등법원 1991. 10. 2. 선고 91나11577 판결

【주 문】

상고를 기각한다.

상고비용은 피고의 부담으로 한다.

【이 유】 상고이유를 본다.

제1점에 대하여

원심판결 이유를 기록에 비추어 보면, 원고들이 피고 회사에 공원으로 입사하였다가 사직원을 제출하고 퇴직금까지 수령한 후 퇴사, 재입사의 형식을 취하였으나 원고들의 사직서 제출이나 퇴직금수령에 사직의 의사표시가 담겨져 있었다 하더라도 이는 진의 아닌 의사표시로서 피고 회사도 이를 알고 있어서 무효이고, 원고들은 이 사건에서 퇴직한 날까지 계속 근무한 것이라고 인정한 원심의 조처는 정당한 것으로 수긍할 수 있고, 거기에 채증법칙을 어긴 위법이나 소론과 같은 법리의 오해가 있다고 할 수 없고(당원 1991.5.24. 선고 90다13222 판결 참조), 소론의 판례는 이 사건에 적절하다고 할 수 없다.

그리고 피고 회사가 단체협약을 개정함에 있어 정부당국의 조정결정을 받은 바 있는지 여부는 이 사건 결과에 영향이 없는 것이고, 가사 원고들이 형식상 퇴직하면서 소론과 같은 혜택을 받았다고 하여도 이 때문에 원고들과 피고 회사와의 근로계약관계가 단절되었다고 인정할 수는 없다.

따라서 반대의 입장에서 다투는 논지는 이유가 없다.

제2, 3점에 대하여

기록을 살펴보면 원심의 사실인정이 채증법칙에 위배되어 위법하다고 할 수 없고 거기에 심리미진의 위법이 있다고 할 수도 없으며, 원심이 인정한 바에 따르면 원고들이 판시와 같은 경위로 중도에 퇴직의 의사표시를 한 것은 진의 아닌 의사표시이고 피고 회사도 이를 알고 있는 것이어서 무효라는 것이므로 피고 회사가 이 퇴직의 의사표시를 수리하는 형식을 취하였다고 하여 피고 회사와의 근로계약이 해지되어 종료되고 소멸되었다고 할 수 없고, 원고들이 판시와 같은 경위로 퇴직금을 수령하였다고 하여도 마찬가지이다.

또 원심이 사실인정을 함에 있어 을 제1호증의 2, 을 제3호증의 2(각 사직서)의 해석을 잘못하였거나 채증법칙을 어긴 위법이 있다고 할 수 없고, 원심판결에 진의 아닌 의사표시에 관한 법리를 오해한 위법이 있다고 할 수 없다.

논지도 이유가 없다.

제4, 5, 6점에 대하여

1. 소득세법상 소득금액의 지급자가 원천징수납부의무를 부담하는 것은 수급자의 원천납세의무부담이 전제되어 있는 것으로서 수급자의 원천세납세의무가 성립하지 아니한 경우는 이를 전제로 한 지급자의 원천세징수의무도 성립할 수 없는 것이고, 국세기본법 제21조 제2항 제1호에 의하여 원천징수하는 소득세 등에 대한 징수의무자의 납부의무는 원칙적으로 그 소득금액을 지급하는 때에 성립하는 것이고 이에 대응하는 수급자의 수인의무의 성립시기도 같다고 할 것이므로 지급자가 위 소득금액의 지급시기 전에 미리 원천세액을 징수 공제할 수 없는 것이며, 원천징수의 대상이 되는 소득이라고 하여 소득의 범위 그 자체가 당연히 원천세액만큼 감축되는 것이라고 할 수 없다.(당원 1988.9.27. 선고 87누407 판결; 같은 해 10.24. 선고 86다카2872 판결; 1992.5.26. 선고 91다38075 판결각 참조)

2. 그러므로 원심이 이 사건에서 피고에게 원천징수세액을 공제하지 아니한 퇴직금의 지급을 명한 조처가 위법하다고 할 수 없고, 이와 같은 경우 피고로서는 이 사건 판결이 확정되어 그에 따라 퇴직금을 지급하는 단계에서 소득세 등을 원천징수하면 될 것이고, 만일 원고들이 원천징수세액을 공제한 퇴직금의 수령을 거절하면 변제공탁하면 될 것이며, 이렇게 하는 것이 소득세법 제182조 제1항에 위반된다고 할 수 없다.

원심의 이 부분 판단이유에 적절치 못한 부분이 있기는 하나 그 판단결과는 정당하고, 소론의 판례는 이 사건에 적절하지 못한 것이다.

3. 따라서 원심판결에 소론과 같은 심리미진이나 법리의 오해가 있다고 할 수 없고, 논지도 이유 없다.

그러므로 상고를 기각하고, 상고비용은 패소자의 부담으로 하여 관여 법관의 일치된 의견으로 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 최종영(재판장) 이회창 배만운 김석수

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