By Anadolu staff
ANKARA (AA) – South Korea’s top court ruled Thursday in favor of Korean victims of Japan's forced labor and ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation, according to media reports.
The Supreme Court announced its final ruling in the three separate compensation suits filed by 23 forced labor victims and 18 family members of other victims between 2013 and 2015 against Nachi-Fujikoshi, a Japanese engineering firm, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.
The court ordered the Japanese firm to pay between 80 million won ($59,880) and 100 million won ($74,850) per plaintiff.
On Wednesday, in another case, a South Korean court also ordered the seizure of funds deposited by Japanese shipbuilder Hitachi Zosen Corp. after the firm failed to comply with a court order to pay $37,400 to the plaintiff for damages over forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule.
Last month, the top court also ruled in favor of Korean victims of Japan's forced labor and ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation.
Earlier, Japan lodged a “strong protest” with South Korea after a court in Seoul asked Tokyo to compensate wartime comfort women.
Tokyo considers the issue to have been resolved.
Seoul and Tokyo agreed eight years ago to “finally and irreversibly” resolve the wartime sex slave issue.
Japan apologized for its colonial-era excesses and agreed to contribute 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) to a foundation that supports victims.
But Seoul said in March last year it would compensate Korean victims on its own without asking for contributions from Japanese companies.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid