One of the South Korean plaintiffs in wartime labor cases involving Japanese firms has accepted payment under a settlement plan proposed by the South Korean government. The plaintiff had opposed the plan and refused to accept the payment.
South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered Japanese companies in 2018 to pay compensation to those who say they or their relatives were forced to work for the firms during World War Two.
The Japanese government says the issue of the right to claim compensation was settled completely and finally by a bilateral agreement in 1965, when Japan and South Korea normalized diplomatic ties.
The South Korean government announced in March 2023 a plan to have a government-affiliated foundation pay damages in lieu of the Japanese firms.
Eleven of the 15 individuals are known to have received payments already from the foundation.
On Wednesday, the South Korean foreign ministry announced that another individual has newly received a payout.
Informed sources say the 12th individual is Yang Geum-deok, who had opposed the government’s settlement plan and refused to accept the payment.
The three other individuals are thought to remain unchanged in their refusal to accept payments under the plan.
Major South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo says Yang’s acceptance of the settlement scheme could influence the attitudes of the other individuals.
In related moves, South Korea’s top court handed down a series of rulings from late last year through early this year, ordering Japanese firms to pay damages.
These decisions have raised concerns that the South Korean government-affiliated foundation may become short of money.