S Korea court tells Japan to compensate ‘comfort women’
SEOUL: A South Korean court for the first time on Friday ordered Japan to compensate 12 women who were forced to work in its wartime brothels, a ruling that drew a rebuke from Tokyo and threatened to rekindle a diplomatic feud between the two countries.
Reminders of Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula are contentious for both sides, with many surviving “comfort women” - a Japanese euphemism for the sex abuse victims - demanding Tokyo’s formal apology and compensation.
Japan says the issue was settled under a 1965 treaty that normalised diplomatic ties, and the two countries agreed to “irreversibly” end the dispute in a 2015 deal.
But the Seoul Central District Court, a lower tier court, ordered Japan pay each of the women 100 million won ($91,000), saying neither of the pacts can cover their right to seek compensation.
Amnesty International said it was the first time a domestic court had recognised that Japan’s government was accountable for the wartime brothels. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Japan could not accept the court ruling and said the lawsuit should be dropped.
Chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu
Kato called the verdict “unacceptable,” urging Seoul to take “appropriate measures”.
Vice foreign minister Takeo Akiba summoned South Korean Ambassador Nam Gwan-pyo to lodge an “extremely strong protest”. Ambassador Nam said that he would strive to prevent the ruling from having an “undesirable impact” on ties.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said it respects the court ruling, though it acknowledges the 2015 pact was a formal agreement. It will also make efforts to ensure the two countries will continue constructive cooperation as it reviews the impact of the ruling on diplomatic relations, the ministry said.