A court in South Korea (Newsis)
An attempt by victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery to collect court-ordered compensation from the Japanese government has fallen through as Tokyo refused to submit a list of its assets in South Korea.
The case involves several Korean victims of Japan's sexual enslavement during World War II, who won a damages suit against the Japanese government in early 2021, securing a claim of 100 million won ($72,364) in compensation per person.
However, Japan refused to pay the ordered compensation, arguing that a sovereign nation is immune from the jurisdiction of another nation's courts.
The victims responded by filing a request the same year, asking the court to allow them to identify the Japanese government's properties in South Korea as a step toward collecting the compensation.
Granting the request, the court subsequently ordered Japan to present a list of its properties in South Korea, but Japan resisted the court order by repeatedly returning the court letters notifying them of the order.
Unable to complete the necessary notification procedure, the court eventually revoked its decision in favor of the victims, saying that the requested property identification could not proceed without proper notification.
The victims responded by appealing the revocation, asserting that they had faithfully fulfilled their responsibilities to ensure the court order was delivered to Japan.
Sources said Wednesday that an appellate bench at the Seoul Central District Court recently dismissed the appeal, confirming that there were no other methods to deliver the court order to Japan.
By law, the victims can file another appeal with the Supreme Court, though it remains unclear whether this would easily lead to the seizure of Japan's properties in South Korea and eventual payment of compensation amid Japan's apparent resistance. (Yonhap)
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