Supreme Court to Rule on Wartime Forced-Labor Suit

Korea's Supreme Court is set to rule on a compensation suit against Nippon Steel filed by four Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's colonial rule of Korea.

Tokyo maintains that a 1965 lump-sum payment that normalized ties between the two countries settled the issue of individuals' right to seek compensation.

But the Supreme Court in 2012 ruled that an agreement between the two governments cannot void individual compensation claims. In 2013, the Seoul High Court ordered Japan to pay compensation to the Korean individuals, drawing vehement protest from the Japanese government.