{
  "id": 15710680,
  "title": "Seoul court again orders Japanese firm to pay forced labor victims",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/seoul-court-again-orders-japanese-firm-to-pay-forced-labor-victims-15710680",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T06:42:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/law-crime/20261020/seoul-court-again-orders-japanese-firm-to-pay-forced-labor-victims"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Tuesday, a Seoul appeals court once again mandated Japanese corporation Mitsubishi Materials to compensate Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's World War II occupation. The appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court determined that Mitsubishi Materials must pay a total of 99 million won, or approximately $74,500, to five Koreans who were compelled to work in Japan during the war, reinforcing a lower court's ruling that was partially favorable to the plaintiffs. Mitsubishi Materials, previously known as Mitsubishi Mining, was ordered to compensate one plaintiff, whose last name is Heo, with roughly 27 million won, and the other four plaintiffs each with 18 million won. Korean courts have consistently issued judgments ordering Japanese firms to compensate forced labor victims and their families since the Supreme Court upheld two landmark compensation decisions in 2018. The Supreme Court affirmed that the 1965 treaty between Korea and Japan, which aimed to settle disputes arising from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, did not negate individuals' right to seek damages.",
  "summary": "A Seoul appeals court on Tuesday again ordered a Japanese company to compensate Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor. The appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court ruled that Mitsubishi Materials Corp. must pay a total of 99 million won ($74,500) to five Koreans who were forced to work in Japan during World War II, upholding a lower court's ruling partially in favor of the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "The repeated judicial mandates against Japanese corporations signal a continuing legal pattern where Korean courts prioritize individual rights to damages over the diplomatic settlements established by historical treaties.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Seoul court again orders Japanese firm to pay forced labor victims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/seoul-court-again-orders-japanese-firm-to-pay-forced-labor-victims",
        "published": "2026-10-20T06:20:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Seoul court again orders Japanese firm to pay forced labor victims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/seoul-court-again-orders-japanese-firm-to-pay-forced-labor-victims-15714417",
        "published": "2026-10-20T07:17:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}