One Forced Mobilization Survivor to Accept Government Solution
Regarding compensation for forced labor (conscription) during the Japanese colonial period, one out of three surviving victims has agreed to receive the court-ordered payment according to the government's 'third-party payment' solution. This is the first case where the stance changed from refusal to acceptance.
On the 25th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Foundation for the Support of Victims of Forced Labor under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to pay the court-ordered compensation and delayed interest to one surviving victim on the 26th. This victim submitted the necessary documents to the foundation for receiving the payment the previous day. The foundation held a board meeting that morning and approved the payment.
The government officially announced the third-party payment solution in March, under which the foundation pays the court-ordered compensation and delayed interest for a total of 15 forced labor victims who received final compensation rulings from the Supreme Court in 2018, instead of the Japanese defendant companies.
Initially, 10 out of the 15 victims accepted this solution. However, all three surviving victims and the families of two deceased victims, totaling five victims, officially expressed their refusal of the solution. Among them, one surviving victim changed their stance from refusal to acceptance. It is known that this victim changed their position due to requests from family members and others.
Im Su-seok, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing that “We will continue to make sincere efforts to meet with each victim and bereaved family member directly, together with the foundation, to seek their understanding.”
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