S. Korea’s Top Court Upholds Damages Ruling against Nippon Steel

Seoul, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–South Korea’s Supreme Court on Wednesday finalized a lower court ruling ordering Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. to pay 80 million won, or about 9 million yen, in damages to the bereaved family of a South Korean wartime laborer. The top court dismissed the Japanese company’s appeal, marking the second finalized defeat for Nippon Steel among the additional lawsuits filed after the landmark October 2018 ruling by the South Korean top court that first confirmed Japanese companies’ liability for wartime labor compensation. The plaintiffs alleged that the wartime laborer was forced to perform dangerous work under poor conditions at a steelworks in the city of Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, after being sent there in February 1942 and until escaping in July of the same year. The plaintiffs lost in the court of first instance, but in 2024, another court reversed the decision after adopting a new interpretation regarding the statute of limitations. In 2023, the South Korean government announced a solution under which a government-affiliated foundation would provide compensation on behalf of the Japanese companies. Concerns have been raised, however, about insufficient funding for the program. Meanwhile, in August last year, a court ordered the seizure of shares owned by Nippon Steel. With the process of converting the assets into cash expected to take time, one of the plaintiffs told reporters that they hoped to proceed with whichever method would allow them to receive compensation more quickly. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]