Reassignment of Court for Japan Forced Labor Lawsuit

Last September, after the lawsuit for damages filed by the children of forced labor victim Jeong against Nippon Steel (formerly Shin Nippon Steel) concluded at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Kim Young-hwan, Director of External Cooperation at the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities (left), and lawyer Jeon Beom-jin are answering questions from the press.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] As fairness concerns arose in a damages lawsuit filed by victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation against war crime companies, the court changed the presiding judges.

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Seoul Central District Court recently reassigned the lawsuit filed by the victims' families against Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation and JX Nippon Mining & Metals from Judge Baek Baek-gyu of Civil Division 96 to Chief Judge Kim Chun-soo of Civil Division 27. Another lawsuit filed by different victims' families against Nihon Cokes Industry was reassigned from Judge Kim Sang-geun of Civil Division 86 to Judge Yoo Ji-hyun of Civil Division 31.

Previously, the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), representing the victims' families, filed a motion to disqualify Judges Baek Baek-gyu and Kim Sang-geun, citing their past employment at Kim & Chang law firm. The court dismissed the plaintiffs' motion to disqualify while reassigning the cases.

This reassignment is known to have been made after the original presiding judges themselves requested recusal from the cases. Since concerns about fairness were raised externally, it is speculated that the court was mindful of this.