Current:Home > FinanceSouth Korean court orders 2 Japanese companies to compensate wartime Korean workers for forced labor -MomentumProfit Zone
South Korean court orders 2 Japanese companies to compensate wartime Korean workers for forced labor
View
Date:2025-04-16 13:13:28
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s top court ordered two Japanese companies to financially compensate more of their wartime Korean workers for forced labor, as it sided Thursday with its contentious 2018 verdicts that caused a huge setback in relations between the two countries.
But observers say Thursday’s ruling won’t likely hurt bilateral ties much since Seoul and Tokyo, now governed by different leaders, are pushing hard to bolster their partnerships in the face of shared challenges like North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats and China’s increasing assertiveness.
The Supreme Court ruled that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries must provide between 100 million and 150 million won ($76,700 and $115,000) in compensation to each of four plaintiffs — bereaved families of its former employees who were forced to work for the company during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. The court also said Nippon Steel Corp. must give 100 million won (about $76,700) to each of seven Korean plaintiffs for similar colonial-era forced labor.
In two separate verdicts in 2018, the top South Korean court ordered Mitsubishi and Nippon Steel to compensate a total of 15 other Korean employees for forced labor. That irked Japan, which has insisted all compensation issues were already settled by a 1965 bilateral treaty that normalized their diplomatic relations. But the 2018 South Korean court rulings said the treaty cannot prevent individual rights to seek compensations for forced labor because Japanese companies’ use of such laborers were “acts of illegality against humanity” that were linked to Tokyo’s illegal colonial occupation and its war of aggression.
In Thursday’s ruling, the South Korean Supreme Court cited that argument in one of the 2018 verdicts, saying it paved the way for “a judicial remedy for forced labor victims within Republic of Korea.” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi called the ruling “absolutely unacceptable” as it clearly violated the 1965 treaty.
The wrangling touched off by the 2018 rulings led to the two countries downgrading each other’s trade status, and Seoul’s previous liberal government threatening to spike a military intelligence-sharing pact. Their strained ties complicated efforts by the United States to build a stronger trilateral cooperation to counter challenges posed by North Korea and China.
The Seoul-Tokyo relations, however, began thawing after South Korea’s current conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol, announced in March that his country would use a local corporate fund to compensate the forced labor victims without demanding Japanese contributions. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later expressed sympathy for the suffering of Korean forced laborers during a Seoul visit. The two countries revived high-level talks and withdrew economic retaliatory steps against each other.
Eleven of the 15 former forced laborers or their families involved in the 2018 rulings had accepted compensation under Seoul’s third-party reimbursement plan, but the remaining four still refuse to accept it, according to their support group.
“I believe the South Korean government will continue its utmost effort in order to gain the understanding of the plaintiffs,” Hayashi said.
Choi Eunmi, a Japan expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute Policy Institute in Seoul, said Thursday’s ruling “won’t likely cause big troubles in Korea-Japan relationships” as South Korea has already determined how to handle such verdicts with the establishment of the domestic compensation fund.
Choi said that, because some forced labor victims refuse to accept compensation under the third-party reimbursement system, the South Korean fund hasn’t completely resolved the issue. But she said an attempt by a future South Korean government to spike the system would undermine South Korea’s credibility in Japan and deteriorate bilateral ties severely.
Yoon’s push to improve ties with Japan drew strong backlash from some of the forced labor victims and liberal opposition politicians, who have demanded direct compensation from the Japanese companies. But Yoon defended his move, saying it’s essential to boosting ties with Japan to jointly cope with North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal, the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry and global supply chain challenges.
___
Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
veryGood! (19)
Related
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- TikTok content creator Taylor Rousseau Grigg died from rare chronic condition: Report
- Sister Wives Star Kody Brown’s Daughter Mykelti Lashes Out Against Him After Previous Support
- Ole Miss releases statement addressing 'feigned injuries'
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Historic ocean liner could soon become the world’s largest artificial reef
- Ex-US Army soldier asks for maximum 40 years in prison but gets a 14-year term for IS plot
- 2 arrested in deadly attack on homeless man sleeping in NYC parking lot
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Texas football plants flag through Baker Mayfield Oklahoma jersey after Red River Rivalry
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Alabama corrections officer charged with smuggling meth into prison
- Singer El Taiger Dead at 37 One Week After Being Found With Gunshot Wound to the Head
- Fossil Fuel Interests Are Working To Kill Solar in One Ohio County. The Hometown Newspaper Is Helping
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- SpaceX says its ready for another Starship test: FAA still needs to approve the launch
- Arkansas dad shoots, kills man found with his missing 14-year-old daughter, authorities say
- Pittsburgh football best seasons: Panthers off to 6-0 start for first time in decades
Recommendation
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
Billy Ray Cyrus’ Ex-Wife Firerose Would Tell Her Younger Self to Run From Him
Ex-US Army soldier asks for maximum 40 years in prison but gets a 14-year term for IS plot
Road rage shooting in LA leaves 1 dead, shuts down Interstate 5 for hours
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Lawyer for news organizations presses Guantanamo judge to make public a plea deal for 9/11 accused
Don't want to worry about a 2025 Social Security COLA? Here's what to do.
'SNL' fact check: How much of 'Saturday Night' film is real?