Victims of Japan's wartime forced labor protest gov't compensation plan

• Published date: 06 March 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor and their families on Monday condemned the government's plan to compensate plaintiffs through a domestic foundation without contributions from the accused Japanese firms.

Seoul's foreign ministry on Monday proposed compensating 15 victims of forced labor who won legal battles against two Japanese firms through a Seoul-backed public foundation, instead of direct payment from the responsible companies ? Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel.

Legal representatives of victims and a civic group advocating them blasted the government's plan as a scheme that effectively nullifies the Korean Supreme Court's 2018 order for the two Japanese firms to compensate them.

"(With the latest proposal), the Korean government effectively provides immunity to the accused Japanese firms from legal obligations," they said at a press conference in Seoul.

They said the government has unveiled the "humiliating" resolution that does not require Japan's apology nor its financial...