Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Dismissal of Comfort Women Compensation Lawsuit: "We Will Strive to Restore Honor and Dignity"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement following the conclusion of the second damages claim lawsuit filed by Japanese military comfort women victims against the Japanese government, saying, "In accordance with the principle of victim-centeredness, the government will do everything it can to restore the honor and dignity of the Japanese military comfort women victims."

On the 21st, the 15th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Min Seongcheol) dismissed the damages claim lawsuit filed by 20 comfort women victims, including the late grandmother Gwak Ye-nam, against the Japanese government.

A dismissal is a decision made when a lawsuit or claim is deemed improper or does not meet the requirements. Previously, the 34th Civil Division of the same court (then Chief Judge Kim Jeonggon) ruled in favor of another group of 12 comfort women victims, including the late grandmother Bae Chun-hee, in a similar lawsuit against the Japanese government. However, since each trial is independently judged as a principle, a different conclusion was reached.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "As we are currently reviewing the details, we wish to refrain from specific comments," but added, "The issue of Japanese military comfort women victims is an unprecedented wartime violation of women's human rights and a matter of universal human rights infringement worldwide." They emphasized, "We urge the Japanese government to take actions consistent with the spirit of responsibility, apology, and reflection it expressed in the 1993 Kono Statement and the 2015 Korea-Japan Comfort Women Agreement."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.