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Yomiuri Shimbun file photo South Korea’s Supreme Court
By Kazusa Yoda / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
7:00 JST, December 31, 2023
SEOUL — Hitachi Zosen Corp. deposited money with a South Korean high court after losing a 2019 lawsuit by a former wartime requisitioned worker from the Korean Peninsula, it has been learned.
The plaintiff has expressed his intention to receive the money and plans to complete the procedure soon, according to the plaintiff’s side.
If the plaintiff receives the deposited money, it would go against the Japanese government’s stance that the issue of compensation has been “settled completely and finally” as stated under the 1965 Agreement on the Settlement of Problems concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation between the two countries.
In January 2019, immediately after losing the case, Hitachi Zosen deposited 60 million won (about ¥6.6 million) with a South Korean court to prevent the seizure of company assets and their liquidation, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer and court documents.
On Thursday, South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld the lower court ruling and ordered the company to pay 50 million won (about ¥5.5 million) to the South Korean man.
The South Korean government has announced a solution in which a government-affiliated third-party foundation will pay the plaintiffs an amount equivalent to the compensation.
