Wartime forced laborers ask court to seize Japanese firm's assets
Lee Chun-sik, 94, the sole surviving wartime forced laborer in the country's first successful compensation suit against Nippon Steel, talks to reporters after his court victory outside the Supreme Court in southern Seoul, Oct. 30. / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon
By Lee Suh-yoon
Korean wartime forced laborers have asked a local court to seize Nippon Steel's assets, as a last resort against the Japanese steelmaker that is refusing to compensate the victims despite a landmark ruling made two months ago.
The legal team representing four victims and bereaved family members of the historical compensation suit ― one which awarded the first court victory to Korean victims of forced labor in Japanese factories during World War II ― recently filed for the seizure of Nippon Steel's stock assets in Korea, according to local media reports.
Court authorities refused to verify the reports, saying the prior disclosure of asset seizure plans could jeopardize any future steps.
On Oct. 30, Korea's Supreme Court ordered Nippon Steel to pay 100 million won ($89,000) to four Koreans who were forced to work in its steel mills.
The steelmaker, however, refused to comply with the ruling, turning the plaintiffs' lawyers away at the door when they demanded a face-to-face explanation from its executives at the company's headquarters in Tokyo in December.
Lawyers Kim Se-eun, left, and Im Jae-sung, center, accompanied by Kim Young-hwan from the Center for Historical Truth and Justice, present a video message from surviving plaintiff Lee Chun-sik outside the Nippon Steel headquarters in Marunouchi, Tokyo, Dec. 4, calling on the Japanese steelmaker to follow the Korean Supreme Court decision and compensate victims. / Yonhap
On Dec. 24, the plaintiffs' legal team announced they would stop waiting and file a formal request for the seizure of Nippon Steel's assets in Korea.
The identified assets under review include 2.3 million shares of PNR, a joint company created by Nippon Steel and Korean steelmaker POSCO. The stocks are currently valued at around 11 billion won.
A diplomatic clash is expected if the stocks are seized. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono warned last month that it is considering “all options to ensure fair economic conditions for Japanese firms,” including seizing the Korean government's assets in Japan, according to Japanese media outlets.
Japan claims the forced labor reparation issue was “fully settled” by the 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic ties between the two countries. The Supreme Court, however, recently ruled the treaty did not annul individuals' rights to press charges for violations during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation.
Similar conflicts are expected to continue, as the Oct. 30 ruling opened a new door for some 1,000 surviving forced labor victims and descendants to seek compensation. Shortly after the Nippon Steel ruling, the top court ordered Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to compensate five forced laborers who were mobilized for its aircraft factory.