Forced Mobilization Victims and Families Lose Lawsuit Against State Over 'Korea-Japan Claims Settlement Funds'

Victims and their families of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period lost the first trial in a lawsuit against the state demanding their share of the Korea-Japan Claims Fund.

On the afternoon of the 28th, bereaved families and related parties of forced labor victims during the Japanese colonial period held a press conference in front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Civil Division 45 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Kyung-soo) ruled on the 28th that 10 victims and their families lost the damages claim lawsuit filed against the state.

The court stated, "The issue is whether the plaintiffs' individual claims under the Claims Agreement have been extinguished. As the Supreme Court has ruled, the mere fact of the conclusion of the Claims Agreement does not mean that individual claims have been extinguished."

It added, "The plaintiffs argue that their individual claims were infringed by the Claims Agreement, but the Supreme Court has determined that the claims were not extinguished. Based on this, the plaintiffs' claims are not accepted."

The same court's Civil Division 15 (Presiding Judge Choi Kyu-yeon) also ruled on the same day that six victims and their families lost their damages claim lawsuit on similar grounds.

In 1965, Korea and Japan signed the "Korea-Japan Basic Treaty" to normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries and resolve postwar compensation issues. In connection with this, a Claims Agreement was made in which the Japanese government provided compensation funds totaling $300 million to the Korean government over ten years, including $30 million annually.

The plaintiffs claimed that there was a share of this fund for forced labor victims, but the government did not distribute it, constituting an illegal act, and filed a lawsuit in 2017 demanding compensation of 600 million won.

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