Grandmother I Yong-su Appeals 'Second Compensation Lawsuit for Comfort Women Victims'

On the 21st of last month, at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, after the verdict hearing of the second damages claim lawsuit filed by former Japanese military comfort women against the Japanese government in a domestic court concluded, Grandmother Lee Yong-soo expressed her stance as she left the courthouse. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery and a human rights activist, is appealing the first-instance ruling that dismissed the second damages lawsuit filed by comfort women victims against the Japanese government.

On the 5th, the "Committee for the Referral of the Japanese Military Comfort Women Issue to the ICJ" stated in a press release, "Grandmother Lee has decided to appeal the Seoul Central District Court ruling that granted immunity from responsibility for Japan's war crimes and crimes against humanity, violating international law."

They added, "Grandmother Lee expressed hope that justice and human rights will prevail in the appeal trial," and "She repeatedly proposed that Japan receive judicial judgment from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a major UN judicial body recognized for its authority, regarding the acknowledgment of the criminal facts of the comfort women system, a sincere apology, historical education, and other demands of the victims."

Earlier, on the 21st of last month, the 15th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Min Seongcheol) dismissed the second damages lawsuit filed by 20 victims and bereaved families, including the late Gwak Ye-nam and Kim Bok-dong, against the Japanese government, stating that the "sovereign immunity" theory (the principle that one state is immune from the jurisdiction of another state's courts) must be recognized. Dismissal is a decision made when a lawsuit or claim is deemed improper or does not meet the requirements.

On the other hand, in January, the 34th Civil Division of the same court (Presiding Judge Kim Jeonggon) selectively applied the sovereign immunity theory and ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the first lawsuit filed by 12 other comfort women victims, including the late Bae Chun-hee, against the Japanese government.