South Korean High Court orders Japanese government to compensate comfort women victims, overturns first instance ruling
On the 23rd, South Korea's Seoul High Court upheld the plaintiff's suit in a compensation lawsuit brought against the Japanese government by victims and their families of the former Japanese military's military comfort women system, and the Japanese government awarded 200 million won (approximately 2,300 won) per person to the Japanese government. ordered to pay 10,000 yen).
This lawsuit was filed in 2016, and the first instance judgment handed down by the Seoul Central District Court in April 2021 applied the principle of "sovereign immunity" under international law, which states that a country is not subject to the jurisdiction of another country. The plaintiff's complaint was dismissed. In contrast, today's second-instance judgment overturned the first-instance judgment and allowed the plaintiff's lawsuit, stating that sovereign immunity does not apply to torts against Korean citizens that occur within current South Korean territory. In response to today's ruling, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Yoon Deok-min, South Korean Ambassador to Japan, to protest, stating that the issue of property and claims between Japan and South Korea was ``completely and finalized in the 1965 Japan-Korea Claims Agreement.'' We reiterated our position that the matter has been resolved." Meanwhile, the plaintiffs held a press conference in Seoul, expressing their joy at the winning verdict and calling on the Japanese government to fulfill its responsibility for compensation.
