S. Korea court orders Japan to pay compensation over 'comfort women'
SEOUL (Kyodo) -- A South Korean court on Friday ordered the Japanese government to pay compensation to the son of a former "comfort woman" over her treatment in military brothels during World War II.
The Cheongju District Court's decision over the case, where the son had sought 200 million won ($140,000), was the third known South Korean ruling in favor of comfort women, following ones in January 2021 and November 2023 that were later finalized as Japan skipped the hearings and did not appeal to the Supreme Court.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said in a statement that the ruling, which the government believes contradicts international law and a 1965 bilateral agreement, is "extremely regrettable and absolutely unacceptable."
Iwaya said the court decision denies "sovereign immunity," a concept under international law that a state is immune from the jurisdiction of a court in another country.
Japan has taken the position that all claims related to its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula were settled "completely and finally" under the 1965 pact under which it provided financial aid to South Korea.
The comfort women issue has repeatedly soured relations between the two countries, even after they agreed to settle the matter "finally and irreversibly" in an accord in 2015.
Under the accord, the Japanese government contributed 1 billion yen ($7 million) to a foundation set up in South Korea. The funds were then distributed to former comfort women and the families of those who died. But some refused to accept the money, calling instead for an official apology and compensation from Japan.
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