Japan protests Seoul High Court's ruling in favor of 'comfort women' victims

Diplomacy

Published: 24 Nov. 2023, 16:09 Updated: 24 Nov. 2023, 16:10

Japan protests Seoul High Court's ruling in favor of 'comfort women' victims

Lee Yong-soo, a survivor of Japanese wartime sexual slavery, leaves Seoul High Court in southern Seoul in joy on Thursday after the court ordered the Japanese government to compensate the victims. [NEWS1]

The Japanese government on Friday expressed "regret" over a Seoul appellate court ruling calling on Tokyo to compensate Korean victims of wartime sexual slavery.

On Thursday, the Seoul High Court ordered the Japanese government to pay 200 million won ($154,000) each to 16 Korean victims of Japanese sexual slavery before and during World War II, including survivor Lee Yong-soo, overturning a lower court's ruling.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu told reporters Friday that the latest decision was "extremely regrettable and absolutely unacceptable" and demanded Seoul to take "appropriate measures."

When asked about the decision's impact on bilateral relations and diplomatic policies, he replied that the ruling "runs counter to international law and the agreement between the governments of Korea and Japan."

He said, taking into the current difficult strategic environment, such as North Korea's repeated missile launches using ballistic missile technology, "There has never been a time when close cooperation between South Korea and Japan is more necessary than now."

Hirokazu also noted that the two countries have been actively developing Korea-Japan relations with the guidance of their leaders and will "continue to make efforts in various aspects."

The Japanese government protested the latest ruling, summoning Korean Ambassador to Tokyo Yun Duk-min to urge Seoul to take appropriate measures in what it called a breach of international law.

Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday reiterated its stance that it respects the 2015 "comfort women" deal as an "official agreement between the two countries."

Appellate court orders Japanese government to compensate wartime sexual slavery victims in Korea

On Dec. 28, 2015, Seoul and Tokyo reached an agreement to resolve the issue of Japanese wartime sexual slavery, which included an apology from Japan and a 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) fund for the victims. The agreement was "final and irreversible" so long as it was faithfully implemented, but it provoked a backlash from civic groups and some survivors.

Korea, under the Moon Jae-in administration, underscored that this agreement was not a true resolution of the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery and dissolved the Tokyo-funded foundation to fund the victims in 2019, though it stopped short of scrapping the 2015 deal.

In March, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration said the Korean government will compensate the comfort women victims on its own without asking for contributions from Japanese companies.

The two countries have been working to cooperate on bilateral relations in recent months while overcoming historical disputes stemming from Japan's 1910–45 colonial rule over Korea.

In December 2016, a group of comfort women victims and their surviving families filed a complaint against the Japanese government, asking it to pay 200 million won in compensation, but the Seoul Central District Court in April 2021 dismissed the lawsuit, citing Japan's right to sovereign immunity.

The latest Seoul High Court decision, however, found that it is valid to recognize the jurisdiction of Korean courts over the Japanese government and found that Japan had engaged in illegal acts by mobilizing the victims, subjecting them to sexual slavery, and that appropriate compensation should be paid for their sufferings.

The court added that the abuse the victims suffered hindered their ability to adapt to society even after their liberation.

Japanese media outlets, including the Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun, reported that the ruling is expected to have a limited impact on the currently improved Korea-Japan relations.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]