The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in favor of a plaintiff who accused his former high school of violating his religious freedom by forcing him to attend religious events, according to Yonhap News.
The decision overturns a high court's ruling that has been keenly followed by religious advocates.
The top court remanded a suit by Kang Ui-seok, a former student at Daegwang High School in Seoul, who filed a civil suit against the school in 2005, charging that it violated his religious freedom by forcing all of its students to attend Christian services.
Kang was enrolled at Daegwang, established by a Christian foundation, through a lottery system in which students were divided among schools in areas of their residence.
 He had also sued the Seoul city government, accusing it of lax oversight over the school and demanded 50 million won (US$46,000) in compensation from the school and the city.
 "The school's religious events were held without considering the rights of the students who have been assigned to schools through a lottery system, and without alternative subjects or activities to guarantee their choice not to attend the events," the Supreme Court said in the ruling.