[Breaking] Supreme Court Confirms Partial Victory in Lawsuit Against Fujikoshi by Forced Labor Victims During Japanese Occupation

Victims of the female labor corps who were forcibly mobilized by the Japanese munitions company Fujikoshi in the 1940s are now able to receive compensation from the company.

As with previous lawsuits against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel, the Supreme Court ruled that the individual right to claim damages was not extinguished by the Korea-Japan Claims Agreement. It also held that until the 2018 Supreme Court plenary decision, there was a de facto obstacle preventing the exercise of the right to claim damages, so the statute of limitations for the claim had not been completed.

The Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice No Tae-ak) affirmed the appellate court ruling in the appeal case where five victims or bereaved families of the late Kim Ok-soon and others, who were female labor corps victims during the Japanese colonial period, sued the munitions company Fujikoshi for 100 million won each in damages and delayed interest. The court ordered, "The defendant shall pay each plaintiff 100 million won and delayed interest from the date of the conclusion of this trial," partially upholding the plaintiffs' claims.