A South Korean court ordered Japan to compensate 16 women for involuntary sexual slavery during wartime on Thursday, overturning a lower-court ruling that had dismissed the case.
The verdict in 2021 stated that the women were not entitled to compensation, citing Tokyo’s ‘sovereign immunity’ and ruling that admitting the victims’ claims could trigger a diplomatic problem.
According to a court document, the Seoul High Court concluded Thursday that it was reasonable to say sovereign immunity should not be respected… in case of illegal conduct.
It ordered that each of the complainants be granted 200 million won ($154,000).
As per the court, the victims were forcibly abducted or lured into sexual enslavement.
The court concluded that they had experienced damage and could not live a normal life post-war.
Lee Young-soo, a 95-year-old victim and one of the 16 plaintiffs, flung her arms up in joy as she exited a court building, telling the media, “I am very thankful… I thank the victims who have passed away”.
According to mainstream historians, up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, but also from other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work as sex slaves, for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
The issue has long plagued bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo, which colonized the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945.
The verdict comes as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative South Korean government seeks to bury the historical hatchet and strengthen ties with Tokyo in order to jointly confront North Korean military threats.
The Japanese government rejects responsibility for wartime crimes, claiming that the victims were recruited by civilians and that military brothels were run for profit.
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