Following Gwangju and Jeonju, Suwon District Court Also Rejects Deposit of Compensation for Two Forced Labor Cases

Following the Gwangju District Court and Jeonju District Court, the Suwon District Court also rejected the government's application for deposit of compensation for victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation.

Court
Photo by Asia Economy DB

On the 5th, the Suwon District Court announced, "A decision was made to reject all deposit applications dated the 4th." The Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety applied for the deposit of forced labor compensation to the Suwon District Court, which has jurisdiction over the addresses of two plaintiffs who maintain their refusal of the government's 'third-party payment' solution. The deposit recipients are known to be two individuals: the spouse of the late Jeong Chang-hee and the child of the late Park Hae-ok.

The Suwon District Court explained the reason for rejection, stating, "Since a clear expression of opposition to the third-party payment by the deposit recipients (bereaved families) attached to the deposit application was confirmed, this deposit application does not meet the requirements for third-party payment under Article 469, Paragraph 1 of the Civil Act."

A deposit is a system where money or other assets are entrusted to the court to obtain certain legal effects.

In March, the government announced a 'third-party payment' method in which the foundation pays the compensation that Japanese companies should pay using funds it raised, and 11 out of 15 people who received a final Supreme Court ruling accepted this.

However, two surviving victims, Yang Geum-deok and Lee Chun-sik, and four plaintiffs including the bereaved families of the deceased victims Jeong Chang-hee and Park Hae-ok ultimately did not accept this, leading to the initiation of a procedure to deposit their judgment amounts and delayed interest with the court.

However, the courts have not accepted the government's deposit applications. On the 4th, the Gwangju District Court rejected the deposit application for surviving victim Yang Geum-deok based on her refusal to accept the deposit. On the same day, the Jeonju District Court also rejected the government's deposit application related to the late Park Hae-ok. As the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization submitted another deposit application to the Jeonju District Court, the court is re-examining the deposit. Deposits for two bereaved family members of Jeong Chang-hee have also been applied for at the Ansan and Pyeongtaek branches of the Suwon District Court, and currently, correction orders have been issued or documents are under review.

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