March 08, 2019 12:55
Victims of forced labor during World War II have asked a court to seize the assets of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Korea, which failed to obey a Supreme Court ruling in November to compensate Korean victims.
According to victims' representatives, Yang Geum-deuk and three other victims of forced labor have asked a court to seize two trademarks and six patents in Korea held by Mitsubishi.
If it authorizes the seizure, the Japanese company will not be allowed to sell the patented rights without consent from the victims.
Another Korean court in January authorized the seizure of assets held in Korea by Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, which had also failed to pay between W100 million and W150 million each to a group of victims (US$1=W1,129).
Tokyo is furious at the move and insists that all compensation claims were settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic relations in return for a lump sum payment, but the Supreme Court here last year ruled that the treaty cannot override individual victims' claims.
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