South Korea's Supreme Court Orders Third Japanese Firm to Compensate for Wartime Forced Labor

Despite Japan's protests, the court ruled that individuals can seek compensation for forced labor, a decision unlikely to majorly impact bilateral relations.

South Korea's Supreme Court has ordered a third Japanese company, Hitachi Zosen Corp., to compensate its former Korean employees for forced labor during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
The court ruled that Hitachi Zosen and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries must pay between 50 million won (about $39,000) and 150 million won (about $116,000) in compensation to each of the 17 Korean plaintiffs.
Mitsubishi and Nippon Steel were previously given similar compensation orders by the South Korean court.
Japan maintains that all compensation issues were settled when the two countries normalized ties in 1965, but South Korean courts argue that the treaty can't prevent individuals from seeking compensation for forced labor.
Despite the rulings, observers believe it's unlikely to cause major negative impacts on bilateral relations, as both governments are serious about improving their cooperation in the face of shared challenges.